Introducing Northern Lights...

Join me and my fearless travelling companion Andrea from the Willow Cottage Quilt Company as we prepare for our latest block of the month expedition: the Northern Lights Sampler, a quilt that sails to the edge of the world, where stormy seas meet starry skies...

This year's quilt takes its inspiration from the aurora borealis that trip the light fantastic across the ink blue skies of the arctic circle. The blocks explore the folklore of the far north, fictional forays into the unknown and the fabled journey of a Venetian merchant (you weren't expecting that last one were you?).

Northern Lights is our fifth Block of the Month programme and will run for nine months, from January until September 2024. Block of the Month participants will receive an exclusive early access pattern book and beautifully packaged kits containing everything they need to create nine original Northern Lights sampler blocks and our dazzling Maelstrom setting, with my tried and trusted techniques, including simple machine-piecing, creating angles with placement templates and adding some subtle sparkle with trims and embroidery. We include any little extras you will need and, as always, a few lovely surprises, just because.

...a few images from our moodboard: clockwise from top left,

John Alan Birch|Pinterest|Alex Vershinin|Elizabeth Foster|ollesbosse.tumblr|Pinterest

The quilt will finish at approximately 70" square and the reason we're starting a little later this year is because we wanted to wait for Crystal Manning's radiant Cadence collection for Moda Fabrics to arrive. We'll be revealing the quilt and opening up reservations on the 6th of November, so put the date in your diary and be sure to sign up for our newsletters.

and our main inspiration: the gorgeously glowing Cadence prints...

The programme will also include a special password accessed blog, where I'll explore the tall tales that inspired the blocks and explain the techniques we use, plus - new for this year and, frankly, pushing us to the very edge (appropriately) of our technical abilities - FILMED tutorials. Andrea and I always look forward to sewing with our talented and supportive block of the month participants and we're excited to share this new adventure with you. We so hope you’ll join us!

Nicola xx

#BlockoftheMonth #northernlights