Just a quick update, its my first day back at my day job (with the kids home too) so its been a doozy. With 42deg C weather here ...and my Scandinavian DNA is not liking it at all!!! Please send a cool change or a glacier.
I don't know what it says about my pattern writing skills that only 6 days into the year I have already updated the Orbit pattern. Personally, I choose to think that it speaks highly about my dedication to giving you the very best pattern possible. It wasn't a typo this time, and I am thrilled about that.
So if it wasn't a typo what did I update? Mainly the HST templates, they were reduced by 1mm so that you don't have to ease (or force) the stacked squares into a happy relationship with the larger rectangles. While some degree of easing seams is a familiar story for EPP'ers, why settle when you can have perfection?? So the new pattern should give sewers the very best sewing experience, and no struggling to get your blocks to line up beautifully.
Here's a picture if you are curious to see how much difference two additional seams can make to the height of a two square block - 2mm if you need a metric on it.
What else... seam allowance increases on the cutting templates, they are quite a luxurious 3/8" now. They also have a very handy "this way up" written on the seam allowance. What I didn't realise was when you take out the fussy cutting window there is nothing to show you which way to place your template. I ran into this issue when I accidentally flipped my template and cut some reverse pieces.
TIP - Make sure you are consistent with your template placements. Don't flip it!
Other changes are;
I included a leap year option! 2028 here we come.
The journal that was originally included has been split up, I needed more room for my descriptions and reasoning... I also didn't need the temperature column so that's been separated.
There was also the minor issue of part of an optional template missing a side... mea culpa. All fixed now!
If you have purchased Orbit already you have an email with a promo code to re-download the pattern for free, just shoot me an email (hello@cakeandale.com.au) if you didn't get it. If you are yet to buy Orbit, the new pattern has been uploaded to the store listing.
So here are some of my blocks for 2025. Honest truth, I had to emergency sew some additional blocks to make sure the easing issue didn't effect the hand sewers version of this pattern. So as far as I am concerned its the 10th of January already! I am terrible, I thought I had taken more daily photos than I had.
On the hand sewing note, I am LOVING not having templates. Don't get me wrong I am still awkward chicken arm sewing, but hand sewing has such a lovely rhythm to it.
I have also decided I will chunk my months together instead of running them in rows, left to right, across the pattern. I will update you next week with a new assembly plan... I'm still nutting out the details. I think sewing the month chunks together and not trying to run the rows will help keep the pieces manageable.
OK Possums, until next time! Cass
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