It’s springtime. The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and the weather is hinting of warmer days to come. Well, hinting and then snowing, that is. We actually saw snow fall for more than 30 minutes in our part of The Netherlands yesterday!

Strange times in more than one way.

We’ve been home for the past two weeks, helping to flatten the curve like so many of you, but we have ventured outdoors a few times for a walk or bicycle ride, just with members of our family. It’s refreshing to connect with the season and comforting to take in familiar sights.

Springtime is a good time to pay homage to the bicycle. It’s one Dutch hobby that doesn’t need to be suspended at these times.

If your family is getting tired of walks as your sole form of recreation, maybe roller skates or a bike ride is in order? Something to mix things up, while maintaining social distance.

This Bicycle foundation paper piecing pattern is coming to Penny Sampler Club Members with the April delivery. It won’t be so many more days now before you’ll have a new packet of Penny Sampler patterns to play with. Are you ready?

Here are the fabrics I chose for my bicycle block. The tiny floral print is by Rifle Paper Fabrics from the English Garden collection. I thought it was just the right scale for imagining a basket full of flowers! My tire is made up of Cotton & Steel Add it Up in Shibori, such a great basic. The solids are Freespirit Designer Essential Solids in Jungle and Sap.

Sewing the wheel is a bit time consuming, but not difficult. As with most foundation paper piecing patterns, the hardest part is joining the segments, not sewing any of the patchwork itself.

After I had completed my block, I realized that I had forgotten to use contrast fabric for the handle bar. Oops! A little sewing surgery and some Rifle Paper Champagne fabric later, and I had a truly finished block with sassy style.

I heard that Dutch flower sales, an important industry, have tanked due to coronavirus, so I asked Aria to pick some up from our local florist. Aren't these tulips stunning? I thought they would bring you a smile.

Would you like to join the Penny Sampler Pattern Club? It’s not too late! Join now, and I’ll catch you up with the materials already published January - March. There are just a few days left to choose the monthly payment plan. On the monthly plan, you begin with paying for Jan - March and then proceed with small payments each month through the end of the year. After March 31st, only the annual plan will be available.

What’s that in US dollars? Currencies fluctuate, but to estimate: €8.50 = $9.50 and €78 = $87. You can pay with your regular credit card or PayPal. Your card will automatically convert the funds for you.