PATTERN SHOWCASE: OLIVANDER THE OWL

Welcome to my latest pattern collection release that coordinates with the upcoming BUTTERNUT & SAGE collection due in stores in August 2026. Of course, and as always, the patterns can be created with great success with so many other fabric groupings too…even though they are pretty darn wonderful with the featured BUTTERNUT, of course. This collection has 4 different “featured” patterns and we are showcasing OLIVANDER here first today and will continue with the others throughout the next week.

I guess it is no surprise that our lovely woodland and garden critters always seem to be the fan favorites in any of my annual sampler quilts. Olivander was no exception when he was first featured in the AUTUMN FROLIC BLOCK OF THE MONTH SAMPLER, and I knew that the moment I created him, he would have to be his own stand-alone pattern one day.

The BUTTERNUT & SAGE fabric collection just felt like the perfect woodland pairing to truly make him come alive and honestly it feels like he was created just for this group. Blocks are created with a scrappy variety of caramels, taupes, creams and french blues for a fabulous classic palate.

The OLIVANDER Quilt Pattern is available via PAPER or DOWNLOADABLE PDF.

Many of you have asked and KIT PRE ORDERS for OLIVANDER are now available HERE . Once the PRE ORDER window is closed, we will remove this option.

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MAIN QUILT

Quilt Size: 55.5″ x 69.75″
Custom Quilted by Diana Johnson

The quilt is all pieced with my standard SEW & FLIP METHOD of piecing so that you avoid bias and get great shapes every time. And Yes… the eyes are applique but here me out… there are a great little accent and add so much to these blocks… I know you can do it!!

There are a couple of different routes you can go for these:

• I recommend the freezer paper method of starch applique. I get the best shapes from that every single time. If you double the freezer paper for these simple circles, it will make the process of turning the wet starched seam allowances so much easier.

• If that is not for you, my next recommendation would be felted wool! Especially for this autumnal pattern, that would be such a great solution. Using wool is the best way to add a bit of depth and texture and this would be the perfect spot for it. Wool is the easiest kind of applique since the sides do not need to be turned under. Just cut the shape out and whipstitch in place with any coordinating thread. It’s wonderful.

• My third suggestion would be to use the interfacing method of applique. This is where you sew your circle shape to a piece of lightweight interfacing and then snip a small slit through that interfacing and turn the shape through that slit. This effectively turns the edges of your fabric, giving your shape finished edges. You can then either whipstitch or topstitch the shape to your block. Either works wonderfully. I have used this method over the years, here and there and I do love it for simple big shapes so it is a nice technique to have in your toolbox. My AUTUMN SUN pattern uses that method quite a bit and I am working on a post that has a lot more info on it, so stay tuned for that.

• My last suggestion would be raw edge applique or buttons!

The owls are set on a variety of cream/low volume backgrounds from the BUTTERNUT collection and those scrappy backgrounds add so much texture and sparkles of color… it is such a wonderful way to add a warm autumnal feel to the background of this quilt.

I decided to go pretty scrappy and “mix and matched” a bunch of the fabrics from the collection to make 4 sets of owls, 3 of each kind. You could of course go WAY more scrappy for some amazing results as well.

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MINI QUILT

Quilt Size: 20″ x 20″
Quilted by Susan [@thefeltedpear]

I decided that OLIVANDER definitely also needed to be a mini with its own little showcase. Isn’t he so cute?

Adding a simple border makes this a great table topper or wall hanging size and is a perfect way to bring a little autumn loveliness into any room.

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STAY TUNED…

We have plenty more BUTTERNUT & SAGE patterns to share. Come back here to the blog to catch them all in the upcoming days and weeks.

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Happy Sewing!

-Joanna