Fellow Quilters,

As I write this post, I am sitting on my friend Michelle’s (aka Watergirl) deck looking out at the St. Lawrence River in Prescott, where the boats are motoring by and local fishermen are hoping for a tasty fresh catch for dinner.  Occasionally a laker slowly cruises past.

The days are getting shorter and the evening air is cooler than a month ago – better for sleeping for sure!  The local markets are bursting with fresh produce, tempting us with their bright colors.  Is there anything better than just-picked corn on the cob or a tomato still warm from the sun, thickly sliced and simply garnished with salt and pepper?  Yum!

Next week’s canning project

Last week I purchased a ½-bushel of meaty Roma tomatoes that will soon go into old-fashioned chili sauce (see the recipe below), and I’ve been enjoying them in salads or as bruschetta every night for dinner.  A few weeks ago, I went blueberry-picking with another friend, Judy, at a local farm – so fun and easy since the bushes were the highbush variety.

Blueberry picking last month

As it turns out, the theme for this month’s Quilt Block Mania is Harvest – perfect timing!  I got cooking and came up with a block that works for so many different fabric collections, particularly fruit & veggie prints.

My Well-preserved block

My Well-preserved block looks very much like my pantry, with its assortment of jar sizes and colors (I also have jars of Yellow Pickle, made in July, and apricot jam (my dad’s favorite – so easy to make!).  Download the Well-preserved block pattern here.

I mocked up a 40” x 50” 12-block quilt stocked with a plethora of preserves, from pears (pale yellow) to blueberry jam (purple) to pickles (dark green) to relish (bright green) and more – fun!

You can find the 9 other participating designers’ blocks/patterns at the links below:

Sunflower Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Farmers Daughter Quilt Block
Cherry Tomatoes by Inquiring Quilter
Harvest Basket
Apple Bough by QuiltFabrication
Perky Pumpkins
Pumpkin Pie by studio B
Well Preserved by Patti’s Patchwork
Autumn Windows
Scrappy Tomato by Katie Mae Quilts

In other news, I have 4 new patterns in the Patti’s Patchwork shop:

I recently had the opportunity to play with the fabulous ombre fabrics in McKenna Ryan’s Best Loved collection by Hoffman Fabrics.  I pop them into 3 of my existing patterns:

PC231H is the classic Good Vibrations using these full-width ombres to create a queen- or king-size stunner.

PC295H Good Vibrations Too typically uses ½-width ombres to make the lap or throw-size of the original pattern, however the delicious Best Loved ombres fit seamlessly into this revamped version.

PC319H Crescendo also looks fabulous with these ombres.

I featured Northcott’s new Shadow & Light horse collection in the new PC349 Cornered pattern that includes 4 sizes from lap to queen.

I’ll be on the road for the next few weeks travelling to 4 guilds:  the Norfolk County Quilt guild on September 8, the London Friendship Quilters Guild on September 10, the Ancaster Quilt Guild on September 16 and the Georgian Bay Quilt Guild on September 23.  In addition, my guild is joining 6 other local guilds in hosting the annual Simcoe County Quilt, Rug & Artisan Fair September 18-20 – I’ll have 2 quilts in the show if I can get them quilted in time (nothing like a deadline to motivate!!!).  If you’re at any of these events, please come by and say hi.

Now back to those unquilted show quilts…

Cheers,

Patti
Chili Sauce
Simmer uncovered for 1 hour:
10 large tomatoes (diced), 3 onions  (finely diced), 1 each red pepper,  green pepper and hot red pepper (all finely diced)
2 tbsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon & ginger, 1/2 tsp cloves and 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
Add & simmer for 5 additional minutes:
1 cup brown or white sugar
Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal (I fill to 1/8″ from top, making sure that all fruit is covered with liquid)

Fellow Quilters,

Happy August!  We are officially past the mid-point of summer.  While the days are still sunny and warm, the nights are starting to get cooler as the days slowly get shorter.  I find that August also has windier days than July – not sure why.  The blackflies of early summer are now gone and the mosquitoes are slowly dwindling.  This makes for some lovely evenings for star-gazing.  I am fortunate to live in a rural area where there is very little ambient light at night – on a clear night, Hubby and I can find some of the constellations, such as the Big Dipper.  Did you know that this constellation is not visible from the southern hemisphere?  Their main constellation is the Southern Cross.

So, the theme of this month’s Quilt Block Mania is Night Sky (quite apropos, I think).  I recall that, last Fall, there was a rare widespread phenomenon of Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis that could be seen from many parts of Canada and quite a few northern states.  This was especially noteworthy because the lights were not the usual white ones – they were multicolored.  While I have seen white Northern Lights several times, I have seen the colored ones only once.  Every time last Fall that they were one display, we had overcast skies and I was not able to see them – I’m hoping they appear again this Fall and I have better luck.

For my QBM block, I recreated the colored Aurora Borealis that I saw many years ago, using a bargello format.

My Aurora Borealis block design

You can download my Aurora Borealis block pattern here.

Northcott has had a few collections over the years that feature the stunning colors of Northern Lights.  The newest one is Dancing Lights, shipping next February and you can see it here.  I substituted the 6 shades used in my block with a big chunk of these fabrics – here are 2 blocks with 2 of the fabrics from the collection. 

There are 9 other designers participating this month – here are the links to their patterns for this Night Sky theme.

Twin Stars by Carolina Moore
Double Star Quilt Block
Zodiac by Inquiring Quilter
Friendship Star
Moon Phases by QuiltFabrication
Star Struck
Pinwheel Sky
Aurora Borealis by Patti’s Patchwork
Moon Over Mountains
A Moonbeam’s Wish

This post is short and sweet because I’m hard at work finishing up several new patterns and finalizing details for a couple of projects/events that I can’t share yet.  I just might do a 2^nd post this month with deets on these plans.  If you’re not yet a subscriber, please head to the right sidebar and hit the subscribe button.

Are you on Instagram?  I was at #lazysummerquiltcamp for the month of July, hosted by counselor Leanne of Devoted Quilter.  Each day we posted pics based on her prompts – what a wonderful celebration of all things quilty.  You can search the #lazysummerquiltcamp hashtag to see all the great posts, and pop onto my pattispatchwork page to see my posts and a sneak peek into my many years of quilts, including a peek at my sewing space.

Thanks for reading,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

Summer has arrived, and not a moment too soon.  The kids are finished school for 2 months, temperatures have risen and gardens are blooming everywhere.  My kind neighbor has a large rhubarb patch and has dropped off 2 bundles of stalks for me.

Rhubarb

Local strawberries are at their peak and make a great pie or crisp when combined with the rhubarb.  Lucky hubby!

Camp is a popular activity for many kids during the summer – exploring the outdoors while learning new skills such as canoeing, swimming, nature conservancy, along with a variety of crafts – I did tie-dying at day camp one summer.

For the month of July I am participating in a different type of camp – the Lazy Summer Quilt Camp organized by Leanne of Devoted Quilter (@devotedquilter).  Each day, the campers post pictures on Instagram following Leanne’s lead.  Anyone can join in at any time – simply pop onto Leanne’s page for the daily prompt and share your pics by including the hashtag #lazysummerquiltcamp.  If you’re on IG, check out my daily prompts, which also go to my Facebook page.  It’s been so enjoyable reading the stories accompanying each “camper’s” photos.

Of course, when it’s too hot outside, we resort to indoor activities and what better way to while away the afternoon than at the movies?  The theme of this month’s Quilt Block Mania is just that – Movies.  Each of the 10 participants has designed a free quilt block depicting something movie-related.  Hubby and I are more likely to watch a flick on tv than head to the theatre, however I am tempted to see the new Toy Story 5.

In recognition of this month’s theme, I designed Action!, showing film strips – fun!

My Action! film strip block

This easy colorful block can be downloaded here.

I couldn’t resist mocking up a couple of quilt samples – the multi-colored version using the block as-is, and a variation that looks more like woven single-color film strips.  Which one do you prefer?

The other 9 designers had fun with this theme too, and you can download their blocks at these links below:

Director’s Chair by Carolina Moore
Rising Star by Scrapdash
Movie Projector by Inquiring Quilter
Popcorn
Movie Camera by QuiltFabrication
Applique Reel
Black and White by Studio B Quilt
Action! by Patti’s Patchwork
Movie Marquee
Scene 1 Take 2 Movie Clapper
Drive in Movie by Appliques Quilts and More
Red Carpet by The Kitschy Creative
Decked Out Star by Sew Joy Creations

Last month I taught 4 days of classes at A Mountain Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge TN and had a fantastic time – the students were amazing, and the quilts in the show were spectacular.

Gorgeous results from the Panel Pizzazz class

Students showing off their Garden Blooms blocks

Karen completed her Skill-building Sampler wall quilt – well done!

I highly recommend adding it to your bucket list for next year.

I’ve been busy working and have added 2 new patterns to my shop:

PC338N Who’s Paying Paul? employs an almost-no-waste method to make Rob Peter to Pay Paul blocks.

PC338N Who’s Paying Paul?

The cover quilts feature Northcott’s pretty Imprint flannel collection, perfect for these easy curves.

PC350 Chevrons uses 10 coordinating small-ish prints and textures in lights, mediums and darks to make a contemporary quilt in 5 size options from lap to king.

Pc350 Chevrons uses 10 shades to make this braided beauty

Stonehenge Organics was used for the cover quilts.I’m finalizing 3 more patterns for next month, in addition to getting 2 magazine projects completed – busy times ahead!

Have fun with the movie-themed blocks and post a comment below telling me your favorite movie.  You may inspire me to set aside my sewing and step into fantasyland.

Cheers,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

Happy June!  The calendar says it’s June but the weatherman’s reports sound more like April – it has been one of the coldest, wettest Springs in memory.  In fact, we still had frost warnings a week ago!  Hubby and I are usually returning from our Spring travel around this time of year, and I am madly dashing from one garden center to the next, searching for flowers and herbs from the picked-over meagre selection in most shops.  This year, however, I still have my pick of the crop.

Part of our Spring travel included a trip to the Eastern Seaboard, visiting the Canadian Maritime provinces and a couple of New England states.  As is typical in this region, the weather was mostly cool and rainy but also foggy.  In fact, all-night fog horns were a common sound for a week or so.  Lobster season was just opening up – yum! – and the markets and local restaurants had fresh fish, shellfish and chowder.

A classic yellow sou’wester

In the local souvenir shops I even spotted some sou’westers, the iconic yellow oilskin wide-brimmed hats still worn by fishermen today (they’re also available in black).

A sou’wester would pair perfectly with my block for the June quilt Block Mania – the theme is “water” so I was inspired to design a block showcasing a classic yellow rain boot splashing in – yup, water!  Here is my Splash! block.

My Splash! block for the June Quilt Block Mania blog tour

You can download it here.

Rubber boots now come in a wide range of colors, so wouldn’t it be fun to use several colors in a quilt?!?

A colorful lap quilt with a rainbow of rubber boots

Nine other designers are participating in the Water blog tour this month and you can find the links to their free water-themed blocks below:

Bottled Water Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Sea Star by Scrapdash
Dolphins by Inquiring Quilter
Stream by Memory Barn Studio
Water Bottles by QuiltFabrication
Water Lily by The Quilted Diary
Waves By Studio B Quilting
Splash! by Patti’s Patchwork
Planet Earth by Patchwork Breeze
Surfing USA by Appliques Quilts and More

This week I’m busy prepping for A Mountain Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge TN next week.  Please stop by and say hi or, better yet, come to my inspiring trunk show on Monday June 8^th – you’ll leave itchin’ to stitch 😊.

I hope to send another blog post in a couple of weeks with deets on some terrific quilt shops that I found on my travels last month.  If you’re not already a subscriber, please see the side bar on my blog page for the sign-up form.

Chat soon,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

Happy May 5^th!  This day has several significant holidays, most popularly known as Cinco de May, when the Mexican army defeated French forces in the Battle of Puebla.  It is also recognized in Japan as Children’s Day, in the Netherlands as Liberation Day (from WWII) and in Canada as Red Dress Day.  While googling this date, I came across this lovely quote that, I think, has something that each of us can relate to:

My birthday is also in May and I think I might be having a wee sale at Patti’s Patchwork for newsletter subscribers later this month – you can subscribe here if you’re not already on the list (scroll to the bottom of the page).

I’ve been listening to a series of podcasts lately that talk about the artist within.  Yes, we are all artists, whether we think we can draw or not.  When I was growing up, I dabbled in many different artistic hobbies, from macrame to knitting and crochet, to paint-by-numbers, needlepoint, embroidery, decoupage, pottery, quilling, candle-wicking, origami, cross-stitch and rug-hooking.  I had drawers and boxes of supplies!  My Nana was very crafty and taught me several crafts.  My mom was always sewing, and I begged her to teach me how at age 7.  There was nothing that I wouldn’t try.  Lately I’ve been dabbling in jewelry-making or, more accurately, jewelry repair – restringing pearls (thanks to YouTube) and replacing tarnished wires on some much-worn earrings (again, YouTube to the rescue).

I replaced the tarnished wires on my earrings and restrung my black pearl bracelet, adding a clasp.

I’ve also fallen down the creative stitchery (a.k.a. Sue Spargo) rabbit hole.  That’s one deep hole!!

However, I chose a different medium when the call came out this month for Quilt Block Mania.  The theme is ART and I selected pottery.  Here is my Painted Pots block, featuring Northcott’s lovely Mariposa border stripe in the pots.

My Painted Pots block for the May Quilt Block Mania blog tour

You can download the Painted Pots pattern here.  It has curves (I seem to be on a curve trend currently) but these are large gentle ones so they should be quite doable.

My trick for sewing curves is to have the “circle” part on the bottom and the “outside-the-circle” part on the top.  I tend to use minimal pins and only try to keep the fabrics just in front of my sewing machine foot aligned – the fabrics ahead of that don’t come into play until they reach the foot.  Give Painted Pots a whirl with a bodacious print from your stash and let me know if this tip helps.

Here are links to the other 11 designers participating in the ART-theme Quilt Block Mania this month:

Colored Pencils by Carolina Moore
Crayon Block by Scrapdash
Mini Iron by Inquiring Quilter
Craft Paint Bottles
Artist Palette by QuiltFabrication
Draw Block by Tamarinis
Painted Pots by Patti’s Patchwork
Gradation Quilt Block
Paint Splatter by Appliques Quilts and More
Still Life With Pear by Flowerdog&Co
Stained Glass Star

I’ve been finishing up some projects these past few weeks, in between repairing/repainting a rental condo (Hubby is Mr. Fix-It and I actually enjoy house-painting – is that considered art?!?  We make a good team).  In the “curves” category, I stitched up the throw size of my PC335 Hello Beautiful pattern because I just love this quilt – it might have something to do with the Anna Maria Textiles fabrics (from her Perennial Borders collection).

A snapshot of my blocks in various stages of completion

You can find the pattern here. I can’t wait to get it on the longarm and dress it up with some creative quilting.  I also stitched up a text-themed block for my modern guild’s block-of-the-month using the prompt “pick one word”.

My modern guild’s BOM block

I’ll be away from my sewing machine for the next 2 weeks so my sewing of choice will be my Toned Down stitchery project – slow and steady – I’m on Circle #1 of 90!

Still a very long way to go on Toned Down

Speaking of quilting, I’ve got a new pattern in the shop!  Twenty-four years ago, I designed a classic bargello beauty that was featured in The Quilter magazine, and I’ve been getting requests for it ever since.  When Northcott came out with the oh-so-pretty Mariposa collection, I took the opportunity to write a pattern for this quilt, adding 2 more sizes – let me introduce you to Long & Winding Road PC342. It looks fabulous in so many fabric combinations and is available here.

Are you considering heading to Pigeon Forge TN for A Mountain Quiltfest?  This jam-packed show and conference is coming up June 8-11^th and classes are filling fast.  My Skill-building Sampler workshop is already sold out but there is still space in Monday’s Panel Pizzazz, Tuesday’s Rosebud Wreath and Thursday’s Garden Blooms classes, as well as my Interesting Quilts trunk show on Monday evening.  Find more details here.  When I’m not in the classroom or viewing the sizeable quilt exhibit, I’ll likely be shopping for a new western belt or two at Stages West (I should own shares by now) – lol!

If you’d like to have me speak or teach at your guild please pop me an email.  You can find my list of lectures and workshops here.

Chat soon,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

It seems like months since my last post.  If you’re a subscriber, you probably know that I blog monthly in conjunction with the Quilt Block Mania blog tour.  The posts are the 1^st Tuesday of the month, and toward the end of each month I usually get a feeling that it’s time for the next month.  I got that feeling a full 2 weeks ago!  Perhaps it’s because the 1^st Tuesday of April is a week into the month.  I was beginning to wonder if my mind was playing games with me.

Wait!?!  “Games” is the theme for this month’s Quilt Block Mania (haha).  The prompt was the classics, such as board games, dice, etc. and there are some terrific choices among the designers who are participating this month.  I selected chess for my block – I dabbled in it in elementary school and haven’t played it since, but I do recall some key details to this game of strategy.  Did you know that the queen is the piece most likely to checkmate the opponent’s king to win the game? So did I, so my Checkmate block features a queen.

My Checkmate block

I used Northcott’s Toscana suede-like texture for my game board and Banyan Batik’s Shadows texture for the black so that I could do quick-fuse raw-edge C-H-E-C-K-M-A-T-E letters without fussing with turned edges.

My test version with Hubby’s chess pieces

Do likewise if you wish. You can download my Checkmate block here.

There are 10 other pattern designers participating this month and you can find the links to their blocks below:

Chess Pieces by Carolina Moore
Quilt Games
Quilters Bingo by Inquiring Quilter
Tangrams
Dominoes by QuiltFabrication
Quilty Games by Studio B Quilt
Checkmate! by Patti’s Patchwork
Tic Tac Toe by Appliques Quilts and More
Game Time Quilt Block
Triple Score by Tamarinis

Do you have a favorite game?  Hubby and I like cribbage.  We also play euchre with friends, and are getting back into bridge as well.  We also play Mexican Train dominoes and Rummikub with friends.  At our family cottage back in the day, we always played cards in the evening – Hearts and Blackout were favorites – and my mom regularly played solitaire when she wasn’t doing a crossword puzzle or sudoku.  What’s your diversion/distraction when you’re not quilting?  Pop me a line in the comments below. We might find a new one!

Speaking of quilting, I’ve been testing some new patterns!  I am swooning over Northcott’s new Poppy Meadow collection with it’s lovely ombre prints and rich ruby shades.  I showcase it in my PC348 Shadow Play pattern – make it in lap, twin, queen or king-size.

PC348 Shadow Play plays with 2 coordinating ombre fabrics with dazzling effect

With fairly easy piecing, this quilt goes together quickly.  You can find Shadow Play here.

Are you a fan of Antiques Roadshow?  Northcott’s first collection for this popular brand is Manoir and features a dinner-plate-sized medallion that I used in PC345 Parlour Posh.

PC345 Parlour Posh features the classic Antique Roadshow’s Manoir fabrics

Create your next lap-, twin- or queen-size heirloom quilt sure to be treasured for generations to come.  Parlour Posh is available here.

Are you considering heading to Pigeon Forge TN for A Mountain Quiltfest?  This jam-packed show and conference is coming up June 8-11^th and classes are filling fast.  My Skill-building Sampler workshop is already sold out but there is still space in Monday’s Panel Pizzazz, Tuesday’s Rosebud Wreath and Thursday’s Garden Blooms classes, as well as my Interesting Quilts trunk show on Monday evening.

Take my Panel Pizzazz class, my Rosebud Wreath class or my Garden Blooms class

Find more details here.  When I’m not in the classroom or quilt exhibit, you can find me at the boot store – lol!

I had a busy month of guild trunk shows, presentations and workshops, including a Garden Blooms workshops with the Niagara Modern Quilt Guild.

The participants from the Niagara Modern Quilt Guild in my Garden Blooms workshop

The participants wowed me with their fabric choices!  If you’d like to have me speak or teach at your guild please pop me an email.  You can find my list of lectures and workshops here.

Have a wonderful month of creativity and we’ll chat soon,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

Happy March!  It is said that March either comes in like a lamb and out like a lion, or the other way around.  How was it for you?  I’m a little worried because we had some lovely sunny warm-ish weather, so I am fully expecting the end of the month to be nasty – in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a late season snowstorm.  It’s been that kind of winter, with record snowfalls and cold weather.  It’s been challenging to stay warm enough when I’m out snowboarding – I have heated insoles for my boots but nothing for my mitts.

My handmade sheared beaver fur mitt inserts

Upon the recommendation of a friend, I sourced some beaver fur scraps (apparently beaver fur is the warmest fur) and made some sheared fur inserts for my mitts – what do you think?!?  They’re not quite as warm as heated mitts but they’re environmentally friendly and they feel so cozy.

It’s also been great weather for oven-cooked meals such as roasts and stews.  I recently made one of my favorite meals – bacon/spinach-stuffed pork roast – so delicious!

The bacon/spinach stuffed rolled pork roast recipe from “A Taste of Napa Valley”

This recipe is in my “A Taste of Napa Valley” quilt book, along with a dozen other family-favorite recipes, each one paired with a quilt and wine from the Napa region.  For the month of March, you can use the special code BOOK at checkout to receive 30% off the price of this book at Patti’s Patchwork.  I keep my copy in with my recipe books!

Big news!  I’ve been super-busy these past few weeks finishing up 2 new patterns for Saddle Up, my new fabric collection for Banyan Batiks!

Saddle Up is shipping to stores this month and I couldn’t be happier.  This pretty batik collection is the perfect blend of soft denim blues, warm toasted brick and light golden hues of sunrise/sunset.  The large focus fabric showcases cowgirls and rodeo riders and is ideal for fussy-cutting or borders.

Coordinates include a bandanna motif in several shades, a tonal text print with all things country, a print with the quintessential country cowgirl accessories, and tossed tonal horseshoes as a must-have blender.  This fabric collection speaks to my country heart, not to mention coordinates with several pairs of my boots 😊.  When I began to design quilts with it, I was so pleased to see how well the fabrics played together to create a range of light-to-dark.  This works particularly well in my PC347 Home on the Range pattern featuring split log cabin blocks – a log cabin block really depends on that light-to-dark shift for effect, and these fabrics delivered the required values.

PC347 Home on the Range pattern

This pattern includes 4 sizes from lap to queen with 3 different block layouts.

My new PC346 Blooming Lone Star pattern also showcases how well the fabrics in the collection work together to create a harmonious shift of values in a classic lone star.

PC346 Blooming Lone Star pattern

The star is softened with the addition of heart-shaped flowers that are a breeze when made with batiks (no needle-turn required) – simply fuse and stitch ⅛” from outer edges.  This pattern includes 3 sizes from wall to queen.

This fabric collection has me thinking of the bright sunny days of summer, which leads me to… this month’s Quilt Block Mania theme of “weather”.  Because Hubby and I live beside a ski hill, we get our fair share of severe weather.  Clouds come over the hill and dump on our side, with heavy downpours and some quite spectacular thunderstorms.  In fact, we are more likely to get a storm than to have a gentle all-day rain.  The clear blue sky will suddenly turn an ominous dark greenish-gray, signalling an impending storm.  The air will be quite still until the wind quickly picks up, whipping tree branches into a frenzy.  When the storm finally hits, the lightning and thunder are simultaneous, causing the lights to flicker.  Sheets of rain blow sideways, buckets of water pummel the garden as the eavestroughs/gutters overflow.  And then, just like that, the rain subsides, the sky brightens and the birds start chirping again.  I tried to replicate this fantastical event in my Thunder & Lightning block.

My Thunder & Lightning block

It took some doing to figure out how to create the zigzag of the lightning through the 3 bands of sky color!  I hope you like it.  You can download the Thunder & Lightning block here.

Twelve other designers are participating this month and you can find the links to their blocks below:

Clouds in the Sky by Carolina Moore
Sunny Days Quilt Block by Scrapdash
Umbrella by Inquiring Quilter
Tornado by Memory Barn Studio
Rainy Day by QuiltFabrication
Dresden Plate Rainbow by Quilted Diary
Sunrise By Tamarinis
Lightning Strike by Studio B
Thunder & Lightning by Patti’s Patchwork
Cloud w/raindrops by Appliques Quilts and More
Rainbow Stripes
Sunny Lanes
Sunny Delight by Flowerdog & Co

What’s coming up?  I’m travelling to the Halton Quilt Guild this Thursday March 5 for a trunk show on Alternate Gridwork, then to the Niagara Modern Guild on March 12 & 13 for a lecture and Garden Blooms workshop.  On March 19^th I’ll be presenting a trunk show at the Grimsby Quilt Guild, and then the Sewcial Stitchers on March 28 for a Skill-building Sampler workshop.  Whew!

Have you been to A Mountain Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge TN?  It’s a feast for the eyes!  There is a huge quilt show, with row upon row of vendor booths and 4 days of workshops from world-class teachers including Jacqueline DeJonge, Nancy Mahoney, Susan Edmonson and yours truly.  This year’s event takes place June 8 – 11 and registration opens March 9 at 10am sharp.  The facility is ideal for classes, and many sell out quickly.

That’s all for now.  Have fun with the weather-themed blocks, watch for Saddle Up coming to a quilt shop near you, and grab a copy of A Taste of Napa Valley while the BOOK discount is in effect.

Chat soon,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

How have you been?  This past month has been – um – interesting for many of us in eastern Canada and the northern US as nasty storms and unusually cold weather passed through.  Did you, like me, go into hibernating mode?  I feel like we need to check in on each other to make sure we’re all doing okay.  I normally don’t mind the cold – after all, I live on a ski hill where snow-laden trees create a winter wonderland.  I snapped this photo 2 weeks ago of a unique icicle suspended from my roofline on an overhanging snowdrift – nature is wonderous!  However, even I have admitted defeat to the bone-chilling, wind-biting cold.  I’ve ordered some beaver fur inserts for my mitts in lieu of battery-operated heated mitts (more environmentally friendly).  I’ll let you know next month how well they work!

Last month I teased you with a hint of some exciting news this month and… it’s not quite ready ☹.  It’s still a few days away from being completed so please pop in next month to see what the excitement is all about.

One of the reasons it’s not ready yet is that I had a LOT of unexpected work in January, including 2 new patterns (more on those below) and lots of kit orders to ship.  You’ve been busy planning your upcoming projects, including making Winter Solstice and Misted Pines quilts – I’ve been cutting, packing and shipping lots of kits, with many trips to my corner mailbox. (Cue the segue…)

As it happens, the theme for this month’s Quilt Block Mania is mail.  What better way to represent this theme than with the classic corner mailbox?  Surprisingly, my Stash is meagre and does not contain much red so I chose the classic dark blue of USPS for the test sample of my Corner Mailbox block.  You can download the Corner Mailbox pattern here.

Canadian mailboxes are red, as are the mailboxes of many countries (including the iconic British Post boxes).  A quick google search revealed standard colors of blue, red, yellow, gold, green and white.  I chose 4 of those colors for this funky 12-block lap quilt.

You can find the free patterns for the other 8 participating pattern designers at these links:

Heart Stamp by Carolina Moore
Love Letters by Scrapdash
Love Letter by Inquiring Quilter
Postage Scale by Appliques Quilts and More
Love Stamp by QuiltFabrication
Postage Stamp Sampler by The Quilted Diary
Special Delivery from Studio B
Corner Mailbox by Patti’s Patchwork
First Class Mail
Mailbox by Due North Handmade

I had fun driving around my town snapping some photos of our mailboxes.  My mailbox is part of a super-mailbox at the end of my street – each household has its own locked cubby (that sometimes freezes shut in this cold weather!) which holds up to 2 weeks of mail.  Parcels can be retrieved from the larger cubbies with a key left in the recipient’s cubby – simply deposit the larger-cubby key in the mail slot after removing your parcel. This system works surprisingly well.

When I have kits to ship, I must take them to town and drop them in the community SLB (street letter box).  Mailboxes are notorious for being the target of graffiti and Canada Post has devised a brilliant solution – if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.  Their SLB’s are attractively decorated with a graffiti-inspired wrap showcasing postal code motifs.  The result?  These boxes are now very rarely targeted, are instantly recognizable and look nice.

So what else have I been working on?  Two new patterns, including Farmhouse Sampler, a hexie sampler quilt in throw and queen-size featuring Northcott’s new Farmhouse Sampler collection.  I’ll be doing a series of YouTube how-to videos next month so grab a pattern and some fabric and let’s get our hexie on 😊.  If red, blue and cream aren’t to your taste, pretty Spring florals work equally well – I’m using Heather Bailey’s Local Honey in these blocks.  You can find the pattern here.

Fat ¼ Focus also made it to the Done pile.  This one is perfect for fat ¼’s of bodacious oversized prints (I used Anna Maria Textiles new Overdressed and Allegory).  Let the fabrics take center stage!  You can find Fat ¼ Focus here.

I’ve also been working on my guild’s Block-of-the-Month program using my upcoming Saddle Up fabric collection for Banyan Batiks – it ships next month and I’m loving it 😊.  Here are some of my blocks.  In fact, I might have a giveaway for Saddle Up next month so be sure to subscribe if you’re not already on the list.

Chat soon,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

We are closing in on the end of 2025 and, for many of us, heading into a busy few weeks – holiday shopping, parties/get-togethers with colleagues, family and friends, cooking/baking and, because we’re quilters, finishing up those handmade gifts.  Why does it almost always take several hours longer to complete them than we think it will?!?

Last Christmas was the first one without my Mom, so somewhat more somber than most.  This year, when I do my Christmas baking of our can’t-do-without shared favorite recipes, I will recall the many fond memories of baking together side by side in her kitchen or mine.  It brings a smile to my face!

Both of my local quilt guilds have special events for December, as do many other guilds.  We have a classic potluck – bring your favorite sweet or savory dish to share with your quilting circle of friends, for they are another “family” in our lives.  Quilting/stitching friends are the best, don’t you agree?  On a recent extended cruise, I met up regularly with a terrific group of creatives as we stitched our way through the sea days of our cruise.

The stitchery meet-up group on the Zaandam

Kay’s darling paper-pieced door quilt

During our time together, I completed my first stitchery project as we shared many laughs and chitchat.

My first attempt at Sue Spargo creative stitchery

During the holidays we often make a date with our extended family.  For years Hubby and I hosted a pre-Christmas dinner for my dad’s family (one year we had 43 people!), and then for my mom’s family.  When my kids were young, Christmas was spent at the family cottage and we played a round-robin game of Court Whist on New Year’s Eve to pass the time until midnight.  As our kids got older, we travelled to our skiing friends’ cabin and rang in the New Year with them.  We continue this tradition now – good friends, good food, good times 😊 Wherever we are, the tv is almost always tuned to a channel filming New York City’s Times Square for the official countdown.  We watch in anticipation as the ball drops, signalling the end of one year and the beginning of a fresh new year.  A few weeks ago, I visited the site of this renowned landmark – can you spot the ball?

The theme for this month’s Quilt Block Mania blog tour is New Years Sparkle, and I considered capturing this icon in a quilt block but – alas – 2 other designers beat me to it (their blocks are great!).  So, I put on my thinking cap and came up with a cap (ha-ha) and a flute of champagne (of course!) for my Cheers to New Years block.  You can find the pattern here.

My Cheers to New Years block

This is a fun one with a bit of embellishment for the cap’s tassel – choose some sparkly ribbon for a festive touch.

Just for fun, I made 3 blocks (one is mirror-image) and added 1” sashing and borders for a quick wall-hanging.

A 3-block wall quilt 15″ x 41″

You can find the links to the other 14 blocks below, including those “ball drop” blocks:

Sparkle Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Ball Drop by Crafty Staci
New Year, New Quilt by Scrapdash
Cheers to New Years
Fireworks by QuiltFabrication
Christmas Crackers by Inquiring Quilter
All Dressed Up by Memory Barn Studio
Lover’s Lane by Sarah Marcina
Bayberry Candle by Emerald Falls Quilts
Father Time Nutcracker by Tourmaline & Thyme Quilts
Rising Star Block by Dragonfly’s Quilting Design Studio
Ball Drop by Stitching Across the Globe
Wishing on a Star Quilt Block by Ashli Montgomery
Happy New Year Words
New Year’s Mask by Appliques Quilts and More

On page 2 of the Cheers to New Years block pattern I’ve included a yummy easy-as-pie recipe to make and share with some special people in your life.  It’s one of my go-to recipes!  Enjoy!

May your holiday season be filled with joy and peace.  From my home to yours, Merry Christmas!

Patti

PS.  While in Bloomingdales, I spotted this quilt in a menswear display – how cool is that?!?

A display at Bloomingdale’s