Fellow Quilters,

How’s your month going so far?  Spring is in the air (finally!) for those of us in Northern climates.  Hubby and I have been travelling through Belgium (Hubby is a war history buff so this was a bucket-list trip for him), and it has been unseasonably warm, with beautiful sunny “sit-on-a-patio-with-a-beer” days.

Belgium and its people have been delightful.  We have dutifully tried most things that Belgium is known for:

Frites (don’t call them French fries) – quite good, although my personal favourites are still the ones on Holland America Lines’ poolside Dive In burger bar.

Chocolate – really, really good!  Need I say more?!?

Beer – I am not a lover of beer (it’s too bitter) – I might drink 6 or 7 per year.  However…when in Rome, do as the Romans do.  We went to a beer museum and I dutifully sampled a couple of the 1600 beers brewed in Belgium.  To my utmost surprise, I liked them.  In fact, I found quite a few very tasty non-hoppy beers.  I am now a fan of Belgium beer.

Waffles – I steered clear of the ones I saw (too touristy) because, with all the yummy beer (and chocolate) I’ve been consuming, my pants were becoming too snug☹.

Bicycles – cyclists rule the road!  There are cycling paths on almost every road and the cyclists have the right of way so you’d best stay out of their way.  Even the UberEats delivery people use bicycles.

Cemeteries and WWI memorials – while travelling through the region surrounding Ypres, we visited several meticulously-maintained cemeteries and memorials for or dedicated to the soldiers of other countries who valiantly fought to liberate Belgium from the oppressive rule of Hitler, a leader who believed he had the right to freely take land beyond Germany’s borders.  We visited Hill 60, an area captured by Canadian troops as the Allied Forces pushed back.

Unknown tombstones at Tyn Cot Cemetery

We solemnly toured Tyn Cot, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world, viewing row upon row of tombstones recognizing unknown soldiers of the Great War.

We stopped by the Brooding Soldier monument, which inspired John MacCray’s In Flanders Fields poem.

In Flanders Fields by John MacCrae

At 8pm, we stood in silence with well over 1000 people to witness the daily ritual of Last Post at Menin Gate – so incredibly moving.

Last Post at Menin Gate in Ypres

This event has taken place every day for the past 100 years. Menin Gate is a massive stone arch inscribed with literally thousands of names of fallen soldiers who have no grave.

We also toured the museum at Passchendaele, to see the horrors of life for the tens of thousands of soldiers who fought in the swamp-like trenches there for more than 3 years.

The trenches in Passchedaele, the Western Front in WWI

Walking through these trenches was surreal – unlike in 1917, when it constantly rained, for my visit the sun shone brightly, and the air was filled with cheerful birdsong.

As you may know, Northcott designs a Stonehenge fabric collection each year in support of Quilts of Valo(u)r.  I was privileged to design the pattern – PC327 Maple Medley – for this year’s Oh Canada collection, and I will be teaching this project at Watergirl Quilt Co. in Prescott ON June 11.

Maple Medley PC327

If you’d like to join me to make this eye-catching QOV-sized quilt, contact the crew at WQC for details.  We’ll be covering 2 different methods for making the maple leaf blocks as well as top tips for working with panels.

So, back to those cheerful birds I heard in the trenches.  They prompted me to design my

My Daylight Flight block for May’s Quilt Block Mania

Daylight Flight block for this month’s Quilt Block Mania (the theme is “up in the air”).  Daylight Flight is the classic Birds in the Air block with the added twist of a sun.  After hearing the Last Post at Menin Gate, I thought about the sky at different times during the day or night, and came up with this fun runner depicting morning, mid-day, sunset and midnight.

My 4-block runner depicting sunrise, mid-day, sunset and midnight

Today’s trivia:  We generally don’t see birds flying at night, however migratory birds prefer to travel at night while predators are sleeping.

There are 16 other pattern designers playing along in this month’s Quilt Block Mania. You can find their free block patterns at these links:

Pig with wings by Carolina Moore
Dragonfly by Crafty Staci
Kite with tail
Daylight Flight by Patti’s Patchwork
Hot Air Balloon by QuiltFabrication
Pancakes by Inquiring Quilter
Feeding Time by Robin Kinley Designs Etc
Contrails by Memory Barn Studio
Scrappy Birds by Katie Mae Quilts
Propeller by Patchwork River Quilting
Pinwheels and Northern Lights by The Quilted Diary
Space Rocket by Emerald Falls Quilts
Pilot Nutcracker
Flying Birds by Patchwork Breeze
Raven’s Flight by A Piece of Quiet Quilts
Butterfly by Appliques Quilts and More
Night Sky by Studio B

Last month I shared my Bollenstreek tulip block for QBM.  The crew at Watergirl Quilt Co. liked it so much that they twisted my arm into teaching it as a 3-4 block runner ½-day class on June 12.

Join me June 12th to make this cheery runner

Contact Watergirl to sign up for this fun class.  I was able to see the fields of tulips up close last week – stunning!

Cycling through the tulip farms in Bollenstreek NL

Last but not least, I have a new pattern in the Patti’s Patchwork shop – PC325 Freeze Frame is made with Northcott’s First Snow collection, shipping shortly.  The pattern features a lengthwise panel and an allover scenic and includes 3 sizes from throw to queen.  The attractive bonus wall quilt pattern is super easy.

That’s all for now – we’ll chat soon 😊

Patti