In Scandinavia we have a small and slightly funny food holiday called waffle day. In Sweden it is called Våffeldagen, and in Norway we say vaffeldagen. It falls on March 25 every year, and you will see photos of waffles everywhere that day.
The story behind it is actually said to be a linguistic mix-up.
The original day was Vårfrudagen (Our Lady’s Day), a Christian holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary. It is exactly nine months before Christmas, so it marks the annunciation. Over time the pronunciation of Vårfrudagen started to sound more and more like Våffeldagen. Eventually people leaned into the misunderstanding and started celebrating the day with waffles instead.
And that is how Scandinavia accidentally invented a waffle holiday!
What Norwegian waffles are like
If you have never tried Norwegian waffles, they are quite different from American waffles.
They are thin, soft, and heart-shaped, and they are usually baked in a round iron that divides the waffle into four, five or even six little hearts. The texture is soft rather than crispy, and they are often served slightly warm with brown cheese, jam or sour cream.
Want to try them for yourself? Check out my blog post with the recipe!
The quilt that started with waffles
A couple of years ago a thought struck me while eating a four-heart waffle: Wouldn't this look cute as a quilt block? That idea turned into my quilt pattern Waffles & Jam.
Each block is a simple and graphic representation of a waffle, with either jam or sour cream in the centres. The pattern comes in one size (throw), made from 16 waffle blocks arranged in a 4 × 4 layout. However, it is easy to change the size by adding more blocks – a single block is the perfect sofa cushion size, while a 3x3 would make a great baby/toddler quilt. Plus it's also fat quarter friendly!
A very simple quilt block
One of the things I like most about this quilt pattern is how simple the construction is.
The waffle block is made from only two different units. By changing the colour placement you can create the whole waffle block without complicated piecing. The corners are made with stitch n' flip corners (sometimes called snowball corners), which is a quick and beginner friendly technique.
Because of this construction the pattern is a good choice if you are new to quilting. It is also a satisfying project for experienced quilters who enjoy simple blocks and strong graphic patterns.
Two very different versions
I have made this quilt in two different colorways so far:
- The cover quilt is sewn from a peach and pink Kona Cotton bundle called Melon Ball. It has a soft pastel look and a modern colour palette. Read more about that one here.
- The second version is a scrappy quilt made entirely from leftovers in my fabric stash. The waffle blocks are brown, the jam is pink, and the background fabric comes from old, crisp, white bedsheets. I made this one with a scrappy binding, and you can see more photos of this quilt in the scrappy binding tutorial.
Both quilts use the same pattern, but they look quite different depending on the fabric choices. And by switching to a dark background (green?) and light or brightly coloured waffles, you'll easily turn this into a flower quilt!
More waffle inspiration
You might enjoy the other posts in this little waffle series:
- how to make Norwegian waffles (recipe)
- the pastel cover version of the Waffles & Jam quilt
-
the scrappy waffle quilt and its scrappy binding
And if you are a quilter looking for a Scandinavian waffle quilt pattern, you can find the Waffles & Jam pattern in my shop.
Sometimes quilt ideas come from colour palettes, old textiles, or traditional patterns. In this case the inspiration was simply a plate of waffles on a kitchen table in Norway. (And, by the way: Every days is a potential waffle day. Enjoy!)
