Quilt Safari, Part Five: Sewing the Rhino

Good morning everyone, how are you all doing? Are you ready for another quilt block in your safari quilt? Today we are going to sew another animal of Africa, the rhinoceros.

There is another quote for this animal, this time from Ashley Purdy: “Rhinos are just fat Unicorns.”

Rhinos weigh up to 3500 kg, which I find absolutely gigantic. A tiny bit overweight, isn’t it? 😂. They really are giants in the African savannah. Nevertheless, they are among the most vulnerable animals on our planet.

Unfortunately, rhino horn is one of the most valuable illegal animal products in the world. The myth of the healing horn, which is in fact only made of keratin, just like our fingernails, has led to rhinos being hunted mercilessly for the alleged healing properties of their horn.

Nevertheless, the conservation measures of recent years have at least led to a very slow recovery of the animal population.

Are You New to the Quilt Safari?

Is this your first time reading about the Quilt Safari? Or have you only just decided to join this quilt-along after thinking about it for a while? No problem, you can jump into our jeep at any time to explore the steppe and savannah together! Together we will sew a quilt with FPP (foundation paper pieced) blocks with the fascinating animals of Africa.

The patchwork instructions will be published block by block on the WeAllSew blog. You can find all previous articles here: Quilt Safari on the WeAllSew Blog

The best way to start is to read my first safari article: We’re Going on a Quilt Safari.

You Only Want to Sew the Rhino?

Maybe you don’t want to take part in the safari at all, but want to try out foundation paper piecing and just sew this rhino? That’s also possible! The rhino is also available as a single pattern here.

Fabrics for the Rhinoceros

For our quilt, we need the rhino in the size 16 “x 16”.

Below you will find my fabric choices for the rhino. As with previous posts, I am using solids. As always in the Quilt Safari, you are free to work with your own fabrics.

The Rhino 16 “x 16”

• Bright yellow (background)
• Medium gray (rhino)
• Charcoal (horn and legs)
• Black (eye)

Let’s Start With the Rhino

For the rhino, you have to glue some parts again. You already know this from the previous posts: Only use craft glue, not scotch tape!

2. Glued together, it looks like this:

It is always advisable to place the fabrics you want to use for a block next to each other. That way you can see whether and how the fabrics harmonize.

3. Now join the segments as you did with the other quilt blocks. I am using the BERNINA 770 QE PLUS Kaffe Edition. Remember to remove the paper from the seam allowances, as this will reduce the bulk at your seams. You will find the sewing order in the pattern.

As you can see in the picture above, I always use the patchwork foot #97 for this. The edge of the foot is exactly flush with the edge of the seam allowance and is slightly wider at the front. This gives me a clear view of my seam.

And here it is, the impressive rhinoceros. You’re getting to be real FPP pros, aren’t you?

I am really proud of you. Keep up the good work!

…And of Course, I Want to See Your Rhinos!

I’m sure your rhinos turned out fantastic. I am so excited to see photos of your blocks. Show them to me on social media or in the community section of the blog! Always use the hashtag #quiltsafari on Instagram and Facebook. In the community section of the blog, don’t forget to select the “Quilt Safari” participation campaign.

See you next week
Ingrid