I am so excited to introduce you to the amazing humans who pattern tested the Boreal Forest Quilt Pattern!
Check out the PDF and Paper Boreal Forest Quilt Pattern here!
I will forever shout this to the rooftops - I would NOT be able to do what I do without pattern testers!
They are the most incredible people who work so hard behind the scenes to make sure my pattern release is the best that it can be. They are the ones who catch my mistakes, give me honest feedback about the pattern and encourage me throughout the whole process!
The cherry on top is that they all create the most BEAUTIFUL quilts using unique colour combinations and fabrics that I would never have come up with on my own!
Seeing these quilts come together is one of my absolute favourite parts of the pattern release process - which is why I want them to have this moment to shine!
So, here they are! Meet the Boreal Forest Pattern Testers!
Meet Claire of @madejustsew
Claire lives across the pond in Stratford Upon Avon, UK - otherwise known as Shakespeare’s town! Her business started with creating Keepsakes & Memory Bears, but has grown to also include quilts, patterns and more! Claire has been a long time tester of mine, and I’m sure you can see why!
Meet Lydia of @llquiltco
This was Lydia’s first time testing with me! She is a teacher by day from a small town in Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Lydia fell in love with quilting while on maternity leave with her daughter almost three years ago and now spends all of her free time in the sewing room!
Meet Liz of @foreveryoungquilting
This may be Liz’s first time testing for TBS, but she has 25 years of quilting experience under her belt! Liz appreciates (and makes) both traditional and improv quilts, but she now prefers to mostly make modern and geometrically driven quilt designs.
She's from Vancouver, British Columbia - and when she’s not quilting, you can find her cycling or urban hiking!
Meet Jennifer of @jeniferdyck
Jennifer is another first-time TBS pattern tester and a fellow Manitoban! She is a “Professional Home Economist”, mom of two, baker of muffins and lover of quilts!
Jennifer has been quilting for almost 20 years now and loves trying new techniques, colour combinations and styles. Making scrappy improv quilts and adding hand-stitched details is where her passion truly lies!
Meet Jennifer of @piperautumnfabrics
Jennifer runs a fantastic Ohio-based store called Piper Autumn Fabrics on Etsy. She is the pattern tester who creates the most ideas and mockups before settling on a final decision! Luckily, she can take all of these brilliant ideas and create fabric bundles for her shop!
Jennifer started sewing dresses for her girls 10 years ago and swore she would never make a quilt because it looked like too much work. Now, she makes at least one quilt a month!
Meet Kendra of @piecefabricco
Kendra runs an online fabric store out of Grande Prairie, Alberta. Her and I quickly bonded on Instagram over bold lipstick, comfy sweatshirts and a love of fabric. We later learned we also had connections to small town Manitoba! Make sure to check out Piece Fabric Co for a wide selection of fabric, bundles and more!
Meet Bhiravi of @strawberrycreekquilts
This is the first time Bhiravi has pattern tested a TBS pattern! She is a quilter, sewist, pattern designer and maker of unique things - including gorgeous quilted zipper pouches and needle books!
Bhiravi began sewing in her childhood, but she fell in love with quilting only a couple of years ago! She lives in Berkeley, California and has a studio cat named Reggie who keeps her company while she sews!
Meet Katie of @crestview.quilts
Katie is another first-time TBS pattern tester! She lives in a suburb of Portland, Oregon where she has a great view of Mt Hood - AKA her “crest view”! She is also a mom to two little girls who are always pilfering through her fabric stash!
Katie only started quilting in October 2019, but it has consumed most of her thoughts since then!
Meet Brittany of @brittanytunison
Another TBS first-timer! Brittany runs a family-owned fabric shop called White Plains Quilts with original quilt patterns and beautiful curated bundles!
She also has SUCH a great eye for mixing prints and patterns! Her quilts are modern, but still classic - often with a combo of warm and cool colours.
Meet Oon of @grape.soda.studio
Another first-time TBS pattern tester! Oon is a mom, wife and cat mom who creates one-of-a-kind, perfectly imperfect pieces of usable art! She uses bright, saturated colours and contrasting print fabrics to create stand out pieces that really bring joy and make an impact!
When she’s not sewing or quilting, Oon is known to be hunting for sea glass along the beach or grabbing a coffee/pastry at a local bakery. You can also check out her website here!
Meet Janice of @prairieandocean
Janice and I are both originally from Winnipeg, although we didn’t actually connect until after she moved to sunny California! She says that this quilt made her homesick and she misses camping in the towering trees of the Boreal Forest!
Janice has completed her PhD and is a scientist by day, and an exceptionally talented quilter in her spare time!
Meet Jaimie of @jaimiequilts
Jaimie lives right in the centre of the American midwest in Kansas City with her husband and their mini goldendoodle, Oliver!
During the day, she's a high school English teacher, and at night she loves combining a good audiobook with a fun sewing project. She learned to sew from her grandmother, but learned how to quilt from YouTube tutorials! If you check out her Instagram, you’ll find quilting updates, and the occasional stop motion video!
Meet Summer of @squats_and_runningstitches
This is Summer’s first time pattern testing for me! She started quilting as a creative outlet after college, but became really obsessed after becoming a mother. She comes from a long line of quilters, so it felt like a natural fit for her!
Summer also designs patterns and will be releasing her second pattern this year. She’s a big fan of true crime, black coffee, sweets in the morning and everything nature! Her favourite hashtag is #quiltsinthewild, which I also love!
Meet Mary of @sewmaryhappy
Mary (AKA Mar) is another first-time TBS pattern tester! She’s a mom of three and takes care of a whole lot of animals! She has lived all over the world, but is now planting her roots in Waco, Texas.
Mar is a die hard lover of patchwork, modern, vintage, fussy cut, English paper pieced, traditional quilts - you name it! She also likes everything she makes to feel like being wrapped in a warm, loving hug - which I think she very much succeeds at!
Meet Anna of @TheHackneyQuilter
Anna is from Hackney in East London, hence her Instagram handle! She made her first English paper pieced quilt when she was a teen and picked up her sewing machine skills as an upholsterer. She switched to quilting full-time this past year and is even working on designing her very first pattern!
Meet Joel of @beckerhandmade
Joel lives in Ottawa, Ontario. He works as an engineer in building sustainability as his day job and also has a small sewing business specializing in custom bow ties and other accessories! He is new to quilting (about 9 months in) and this is his first time pattern testing!
See what I mean? These quilts are SO GOOD!
You can grab a copy of the Boreal Forest Quilt Pattern here!
Also, I can’t tell you how much I love seeing the quilts you create, so please tag me in your photos and remember to use the hashtags #borealforestquilt and #blanketstatementpatterns!
Have questions about this pattern or any other ones in the shop? Please reach out to hello@theblanketstatement.ca and we’ll help you out!