Fellow Quilters,

Hmmm…. The last time we chatted, it was November, and it is now February – what happened to the past 3 months?!?  I feel like I’m in a time warp these days!  As things have cropped up in my Inbox, I have been making a mental note to include them in my next blog post, and now the list is rather lengthy.

In November, I was lucky enough to spend 4 days in the Northcott booth at Quilt Festival in Houston, TX, meeting quilters and showcasing Northcott’s new batik division, Banyan Batiks.  Last summer I designed 6 patterns from various Banyan collections, and made up my quilts for the Banyan booth at Quilt Market/Quilt Festival.  Creative director Karen Gibbs has really pushed the envelope with Banyan.  Unlike regular batik collections, Banyan collections are theme-based, much like non-batik collections, and provide a coordinated group of fabrics that are designed to work together.  It makes it so easy to create cohesive quilts.  Furthermore, Karen has included some terrific designs, such as panels and awning stripes – highly unusual designs for batiks.

Abstract by Patti Carey (made with Banyan’s Primitive Lines)

I literally jumped at the opportunity to work with them.  Some of my patterns are traditional, however I pushed myself to create some modern-ish designs as well.  When quilting these, I went to my go-to resource on modern quilting – my stash of Angela Walters books – for inspiration.  Well, imagine my thrill when Angela, during her Quilt Festival blog post, actually showcased my Abstract quilt (made with the Primitive Lines collection) and pointed out the point-to-point quilting on it – WOOP WOOP!  You can see Angela’s YouTube post here .  My quilt is at the 1:30 point of the 22-minute video.  There are a few blogs that I follow, and Angela’s Quilting is My Therapy is one of them.  Last Fall I had the opportunity to attend one of Angela’s lectures, and I am now a self-confessed groupie.

I will be taking the Abstract quilt to QuiltCon later this month in Pasadena, CA, where I will be presenting 2 trunk shows: Alternate Gridwork, and Modern + Metallic.  I will be showing my other modern Banyan quilts, plus a few more that I’m trying to get made by then.  Northcott has a booth at QuiltCon, with lots of quilty inspiration and goodies. If you’re going to be there, please stop by and say hi.  One of the quilts in the booth is Colourwerx’s Mod TV,

Mod tv quilt by Colourwerx

made with Northcott’s brand-new Canvas texture.  Designer Linda Sullivan will also be doing a demo at QuiltCon, showing how to make the block from Mod TV.  I had fun quilting the sample for Northcott’s booth, using Angela Walters’ book (yet again!) for ideas.  I also quilted Colourwerx’s Spikey quilt for the booth – lots of ruler work, but I’m quite pleased with the outcome.

Spikey by Colourwerx made with ColorWorks and Canvas

After QuiltCon, I have several local guild talks – Haliburton, Hamilton, Kingston and Mississauga – then I head to Pigeon Forge, TN March 20 – 23 where I will be teaching 4 classes during A Mountain Quiltfest.  Three of the classes are full, however there is still room in my half-day Intro to Improv class on Wednesday March 21.  If you’ve never tried improvisational piecing, this 3-hour class is a “no pressure” way to dabble in it.  It is so liberating! I’ll have lots of fresh ideas from QuiltCon too!  I am also taking a class on applique, from Karey Kay Buckley – how awesome is that?!?  I have 2 pairs of the amazing Karen Kay Buckley scissors.  Karen is one of several high-caliber teachers at Mountain Quiltfest this year.  I think this is my 5^th year at A Mountain Quiltfest, and I enjoy each year as much as the previous one – great quilt show, great vendors, great teachers, great venue, and a great city.  As well, my favorite boot store is just down the road from the convention center… just saying….

When I go to events such as QuiltCon or A Mountain Quiltfest, I try to squeeze in classes as my schedule permits.  It is a wonderful opportunity to learn from the experts, since these events draw top-notch teachers.  I have been in classes where the teacher questions why I am taking the class, and I respond, “There is always something new, another nugget of knowledge”.  I am always on the lookout for quilting classes, particularly longarm classes, particularly for modern quilts.  The quilting design class I’m taking at QuiltCon should give me some ideas and inspiration, so I’ll report back in a future post.

Speaking of classes, I am once again taking snowboarding lessons with my boarding buddies.  I really need them this year, since, after 2 years of demo-ing new snowboards, I treated myself to one that is the correct length for me.  It is 2½” shorter than my old board, which doesn’t sound significant, but it is HUGE!  I can turn on a dime, but I don’t have the stability of the longer length.  It rides very differently than my old board, and for the first few days, I looked and felt like a rank amateur.  After much practice, though, I am improving. Instructor Tim even had us riding “switch” (reverse), and doing small jumps in the terrain park last weekend.

My new snowboard and my ski jacket – a match made in heaven

Even though I chose my new snowboard because of the features, the color of it clinched the deal – it matches my ski jacket perfectly.  Secretly I think we were meant to be together.

Speaking of snowboarding, I received a picture from quilter Vicki Spiering that I want to share with you.  Vicki made this fantastic quilt of her snowboarding son and drew inspiration for the background from my Winter Solstice pattern.

Shred the Gnar by Vicki Spiering

My boarding buddies and fellow boarders at Northcott think this is an epic quilt!! The fabric Vicki chose for the board is perfect! The back story for this quilt is inspiring, and I thank Vicki for sharing.  It represents so many memories for her.  She actually made 4 different backgrounds before she found the “right one”.  I was so thrilled when Vicki gave me permission to share the photo of her quilt with you.  “Shred the Gnar” is on its way to AQS.  Good luck Vicki!

I have some prizes to announce for my last blog post, part of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Blog Tour.  The winner of the magazine and packet of Stonehenge Gradations Mixers is Betsey, while Lyn M. and Susan S. receive packets of the Mixers.  Congrats!

I just finished quilting my latest pattern, Bevelled, made with a 2½” strip pack of Banyan Batiks’ Ketan texture. 

PC228 Bevelled by Patti Carey using Ketan strip pack

It was super easy to make and I am loving the Ketan.  I have some extra pieces taking up space in my sewing room, and they need to go.  For a chance to win a packet of Ketan, please leave a comment by February 15^th telling me your favorite quilt magazine(s), and if you prefer print versions or on-line versions.  I will give away 3 packets.  Good luck!

Cheers,

Patti