One of my favorite parts of releasing a quilt pattern is seeing what others do with it! The Atlantic herring pattern has inspired some truly creative interpretations, and today I’m so excited to share two of them: Emily Hanscam (@thread.north) and Madeline Jensen (@crinkly.and.cozy).
Emily @thread.north
Emily and I met for the first time in person this spring, at the Warmfolk quilt retreat at Oscarsborg fortress outside of Oslo. We’d already connected online through quilting, but finally getting to hang out in real life was such a joy—and of course, we had to do a photo shoot while we were there!
Emily’s version of Atlantic herring is bold and moody in the best way. She went with deep navy for the background, paired with bright tropical greens, corals, and pops of yellow. It feels like the fish swam straight out of a coral reef and into the quilt.
We had so much fun photographing it around the historic buildings and rocky coastline at Oscarsborg—definitely one of my favorite quilt photo days ever.
Madeline's playful pinks
Madeline’s version is a whole different vibe—and just as delightful. She made the small throw version of the quilt in bright Ruby Star pinks on a light Starry background, backed it with minky for extra coziness, and quilted it with beautiful, evenly spaced lines using her domestic machine. I love how the quilting adds a wavy texture without taking away from the fish shapes.
But perhaps the best part? The photo location. Madeline photographed her quilt in front of a massive mural in her hometown—painted by @toosphexy—called The Mexican Blindcat, named after a rare and fascinating species of fish without eyes! Emily summed it up perfectly in her post:
“I highly recommend reading more about them, because they are fascinating! Just a nice reminder of all the different creatures we share this home with.”
The combination of quilt, mural, and story behind it makes this version even more special. It’s bright, fresh, and full of personality!
Big thanks to both Emily and Madeline for being part of my pattern testing team. Their creativity, feedback, and thoughtful interpretations brought so much to this project. You can find more of their work on Instagram:📍 Emily: @thread.north
📍 Madeline: @crinkly.and.cozy
And if you’re wondering what your version of Atlantic herring might look like—maybe this is your sign to start sketching. 🐟