Fellow Quilters,

The last time I chatted with you, it was April, and I was knee-deep in snow.  Now it is July, with sweltering temperatures, and I am thinking wistfully of snow, hoping the thoughts will keep me cool.  Our area has rather high humidity levels, so 80° feels more like 100° with any amount of activity.  My desire to go for a good ride on my bicycle has been over-ruled by my desire not to pass out from heat stroke, so my bike is languishing in the garage.

So, what have I been doing instead? Well, I’ve been keeping myself very busy with numerous guild presentations and workshops, including the Georgian Bay Quilt Guild, Oakville Sewing Centre and Napanee Heritage Quilt Guild in May, followed by the Hamilton Quilt Guild and Simcoe Sew & Quilt in June.  Here is a pic of the sashiko class at SS&Q – 18 enthusiastic gals.

sashiko class June 2018 at SS&Q Barrie

Due to the overwhelming response, a 2^nd class has been scheduled for October 13.  Next month, I will be presenting a trunk show and workshop at the Chatham-Kent Quilt Guild and also teaching a bargello class at SS&Q.

In May, I was also crazy-busy whipping up samples for two 30-minute presentations for Quilt Market, the industry’s semi-annual trade show.  Northcott has the stunning Imagine collection (with 5 fantastic panels!) shipping to stores in December, and with the help of my colleagues, I designed and stitched up 7 quilt tops and a dress in 5 days.  Here is a link to one of the Schoolhouse presentations .  I’m wearing the dress that I made, with my sparkly boots!

In June, I wrote patterns – 8 of them, in fact – and tested them, so I currently have 10 projects in various stages of completion.  There is Shaded Tiles, made with the fabulous Stonehenge Maplewood (the ombre fabrics make this quilt glow),

PC210 Shaded Tiles

and In the Reef, a pattern for 2 different options of a tropical lap or throw quilt featuring a digitally-printed underwater seascape (Coral Reef).

PC211 In the Reef

Then there are 4 different winter/holiday patterns:  In the Woods, with vintage-looking Spruce Mountain (I used the lengthwise border stripe in a horizontal strip quilt),

PC222 In the Woods

Cameo Stars, with ethereal Stonehenge Joy to the World (I fussy-cut the block panel into octagons),

PC223 Cameo Stars

Gifts Galore, using the fun and funky Fa La La,

PC224 Gifts Galore

and Tree Line, made with Banyan Batik’s Winter Light (I used a stamped tree border print in this modern quilt, making it super-quick to whip up).

PC230 Tree Line

I’m also working on 2 patterns using Amish Life, based on the charming artwork of renowned artist (and quilting friend) Pat Buckley Moss.  I have gone on several quilting cruises with Pat, and it was a thrill and an honour to design with her fabric.  Her collection includes some printed cameos, a panel and a border stripe, and I used them in Bordering on Amish

PC212 Bordering on Amish

and Snapshots of Life.

PC213 Snapshots of Life

While cutting out the cameo blocks, I came up with a little tip:  I needed to cut the blocks 7½”, however my ruler is only 6” wide.  I positioned my ruler so that the 3¾” line was centered in the cameo and cut along the edge of the ruler.  Then I grabbed my smaller 4” x 14” ruler and positioned it beside the 6” ruler so that the cut line was at the 1½” line on the small ruler.  Voila!  I could now accurately cut a 7½” wide strip.

Trimming the cameo blocks to 7 1/2″

Because of this flurry of activity, my makeshift sewing room is bursting at the seams!  I am running out of places to pile stuff.  I have been reading with interest, therefore, the terrific 6-week Creative Spaces blog hop hosted by fellow Northcott pattern designer Tammy Silvers of Tamarinis and her friend Cherry Guidry.  There are 16 pattern designers participating, sharing a plethora of tips on designing and organizing a sewing studio (a.k.a. room), favorite tools, and general management of the stuff that goes on in our creative space.  I have already picked up a few choice nuggets – thanks gals! I had to laugh at some of the photos being shared, and the quantity of some sewing notions (scissors in particular) that some quilters own.  I have 7 pair, including the large and small Karen Kay Buckley ones in my travelling toolbox and the pin-on ones for my longarm.  WAAAY less than others!  How about you?  How many pair of scissors do you use specifically for your hobby?

The other question I have for you relates to purchased patterns, and I would be grateful for your feedback on this.  I realize that patterns are not inexpensive – the average quilt pattern is in the $10 range. In comparison, a quilt magazine is about $7 and often contains 10 or more patterns.  I appreciate every purchase of one of my patterns.  I try to add value for the purchaser by including multiple sizes in each pattern.  Occasionally an alternate size isn’t appropriate, often because of the particular fabric being used in the pattern.  In these cases, I try to include a second design (as in the In the Reef pattern above).  How important is it to you to have multiple size or design options in a purchased pattern?  Please poll your quilting buddies (maybe forward this blog post 😊), then leave a comment below.  I will randomly select 1 responder to receive some of Pat Buckley Moss’ Amish Life collection.  I’ll leave this one open for 2 weeks, until August 8.  Good luck and thanks for your input.  In the meantime, I’ll be in my sewing room, plowing through 10 quilts…..

Cheers,

Patti

PS.  Congrats to Stephanie Woodward, the recipient of the bundle of lovely Canvas textures from Northcott’s Essentials.