Fellow Quilters,

What’s been under your needle lately?  After several months of travelling, I am finally back home – it feels good to sleep in my own bed on my own pillow and enjoy my gardens, now that summer has arrived.  After unpacking (and laundry, of course) it was time to survey the carnage in my sewing room, and there was plenty of it!  My travels over the past 6 months took me on 2 fabulous quilting cruises where I had the opportunity to share my passion with many quilters, and then my annual teaching gig at A Mountain Quiltfest.  For each of these events, samples needed to be made, with no time to spare, so my sewing room looked like a tornado had passed through.  I booked a date with myself and got everything put back in its rightful home.  I also found a bit of time for some much-needed sewing therapy, whipping up a couple of my favorite roll-up tote bags (from my Tote Bag Trio PC249 pattern) with a yard of recently-purchased nylon fabric. My previous bags had worn out. 

My new Go-To Roll-up tote bag made with some nylon fabric and my Tote Bag Trio pattern

I have also used batik fabric to make these – a great way to show off my stash – although the nylon ones roll up into a more compact unit to tuck into my pocket or handbag when shopping.  They hold a ton of groceries, with their gusseted sides.  I always keep a couple of the batik ones in my car for impromptu shopping errands.

I took some time to test some new patterns:

New patterns at Patti’s Patchwork

Just Beachy PC293 showcases scenic fabrics (I used Northcott’s Beach Therapy) and can be made with seaside or not-so-seaside scenic collections.  Edenvale PC290 has a panel in the center, an ombre print in the border to make the quilt luminous, and some smaller “panels” that are taken from a coordinating tote bag panel from Northcott’s Morning Light collection – so pretty!  I also recently finished Sashed PC294 featuring the Wild Night collection by Stephanie Brandenburg of Frond Design – this is a great pattern for any ombre print or 24” panel.  And lastly, I tested Christmas Album PC291 (featuring Northcott’s Christmas Wonder) – another very useful pattern for panels or scenic prints and their large-scale coordinates.

I also made my block for the July edition of Quilt Block Mania – fun!  This month’s theme is quilting – so many options!  I chose something quilt-related that has been travelling with me on my last 3 cruises.

My hand work project for cruising

  My Clover mini-iron is part of my portable hand-applique project that I work on while cruising (when not writing patterns, that is).  Irons are not permitted on cruise ships, but my mini-iron likely looks like a curling iron in the luggage scanner.

I tried a few different design options for my Pressing On pattern and settled on a variation of the classic Winding Ways block. 

My Pressing On block replicating Clover mini-irons

I chose a light silver Shimmer for the irons and a pewter Shimmer for the ironing board fabric.  Both have hints of metallic.  My initial process for piecing the block was modified once I tested it.  I often find that I tweak my pattern instructions once I test them.  The curves in this block are quite manageable. Just a heads up: the corner units create a jagged edge on the quilt block. No worries though – they are covered by the seam allowance.

You can download the Pressing On block pattern here.

I played with some different layouts and color options.

Different color options for Pressing On quilts

The other designers in this month’s blog tour came up with some great designs.  You can check them out and download them at the links below:

Carolina Moore block by Carolina Moore
Wonder Clips by Inquiring Quilter
Wonder Clip by Inflorescence
Spool and Bobbin
By the Bolt by Sugar Sand Quilt Co.
Rotary Cutter by QuiltFabrication
Pressing On
Spool by Penny Spool Quilts
Sewing Scissors by Crafty Staci
Cat Nap by Kathryn LeBlanc
Sue’s Quilt Shop by The Quilted Diary
Vintage Machines
Singer
Color Me Bobbin by Around the Bobbin
Stitching Together at Epida Studio
Quilt Terms at Patchwork Breeze
Happy Hours at Chickenscratch
Pin Cushion

Congrats to Laura M who commented on my June post.  She receives a pretty pack of FIGO fat quarters for her stash or next project.

I hear tell a Christmas in July sale is coming soon to the subscribers of my Patti’s Patchwork newsletter.  If you’re not a subscriber yet, you can sign up here.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll chat again soon 😊

Patti