I feel like I'm repeating myself every single time: But it is so true: One of my favorite parts of releasing a new quilt pattern is seeing what my pattern testers make! Give two quilters the same instructions, and you'll get two completely different quilts. And that's exactly what happened with Kisses from Norway!
This time, I had two wonderful testers: Isabelle from Belgium and Andrea from New Zealand. And here's a funny coincidence: Both of them chose colors that happen to match their national flags!
So I guess we could call their quilts Kisses from Belgium and Kisses from New Zealand.
Let's have a look!
Kisses from Belgium – Isabelle Diricq
Instagram: @maman.kangoosews
Isabelle made her Kisses from Norway quilt in a beautiful combination of yellow, brick red, black and white fabrics from the Favorite flowers collection by Ruby Star Society. Those bold colors create such a striking version of the pattern, and they also happen to be almost the colors of the Belgian flag (with a little white added to the mix)!
And can we talk about her photos?!
Isabelle took her quilt top along when she visited her daughter at university, and photographed it in front of a huge piece of street art across from their hotel. The beautiful mural was painted by two Argentine artists Mariela Ajras and Milu Correch in 2015, at the Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve campus.
Here's what she wrote:
"Kisses from Norway" is such a lovely name for this wonderful pattern that I had the chance to test!
I took these few photos between two rain showers during our visit to our daughter on the university campus. I couldn't resist photographing my quilt top in front of this piece of street art, which was across from our hotel."
I absolutely love these photos! The colors of the quilt work beautifully with the artwork, and the contrast between the traditional knitting-inspired design and the contemporary street art makes the whole thing even more fun.
And that photo showing the entire mural, with the quilt looking almost tiny beneath it? Brilliant!
Kisses from New Zealand – Andrea Jarvis
Instagram: @quiltifact
Andrea's quilt is a completely different take on the same pattern, with a lovely mix of red, white and blue, plus a few little pops of yellow.
Red, white and blue are, of course, the colors of both the New Zealand and Norwegian flags. So this quilt has a little bit of both countries in it!
I particularly love Andrea's combination of polka dots and florals. It gives the quilt such a cheerful, slightly vintage feel.
And if you look closely, you'll notice something else: Andrea has made parts of her quilt a little scrappy!
Instead of using just one fabric for each section, as the pattern suggests, she's combined several prints in similar colors. Look at that sweet mix of woodland animals, flower market prints and red-and-white trellis fabric!
It's a lovely example of how you can put your own spin on a quilt pattern without changing the construction at all.
One pattern, so many possibilities!
What I love about these two quilts is how differently they interpret the same design.
Isabelle's version is bold and graphic, while Andrea's is playful and full of little details. Both use the same simple X and O blocks, inspired by traditional Norwegian knitting patterns.
And both show how much personality you can bring to a quilt simply by choosing fabrics you love.
A huge thank you to Isabelle and Andrea for testing Kisses from Norway, sharing their beautiful work and helping me make the pattern ready for release!
Want to make your own Kisses from Norway quilt?
The pattern includes three sizes – Baby, Small Throw and Bed – and uses beginner-friendly nine-patch blocks and strip piecing.
