Fellow Quilters,
What inspires your creativity? Is it a song, or perhaps an event? Maybe a person, or special place? I am often inspired by my surroundings, whether it’s my own backyard or something farther afield. Hubby likes to travel and I am a more-than-willing travelling companion. Travel is a wonderful way to recharge the battery and feed the soul! It gives me a broader understanding and appreciation of the places and people with whom I share this world.
The past few weeks we have been exploring the Adriatic coast of Europe and all that it offers – the tantalizing tastes, fascinating culture, epic history and breathtaking scenery.
The signature white painted villages in Greece are set against the perfect shade of blue sea.
The town of Fiera on the volcanic island of Santorini
The varied colors and textures of the stone in the ancient ruins and old walled cities of Greece, Croatia and Montenegro remind me of the Stonehenge fabrics used in many of my quilts. What has captured my attention more than anything else has been the jaw-dropping mountain vistas.
A road carved out of the mountain on the way to Monemvasia
Greece and all its islands are much more mountainous than I realized. We drove through mountain passes in the Peloponnese peninsula and Delphi as Hubby tested my nerves on countless switchback narrow gravel roads barely wide enough for one car.
Hiking from one village to the next along goat paths on the island of Amorgos
The highlight was the delightful and charming city of Kotor Montenegro, nestled in a fjord-like valley.
The spectacular scenery of Kotor Montenegro – there’s a castle halfway up that steep hill!
It rivals the stunning Norwegian Geirangerfjord that we visited last May and the majestic landscapes along the Alaskan coastline.
The large cruise ships are dwarfed by the Geirangerfjord.
The iconic scenery in Glacier Bay is what make Alaska the most popular bucket list cruise destination.
Look at the gorgeous ice-blue color of that glacier!
I have been fortunate to experience the magnificent Hubbard Glacier on 3 quilting cruises and am thrilled to get the chance to take it in again this September 8-15 with the Watergirl Quilt Co team during their Alaskan Quilters Cruise.
Speaking of mountains, it is the theme for this month’s Quilt Block Mania. Needless to say, it was not a stretch for me to come up with a mountain-inspired block. 
My Misted Mountains is a variation of a block in my oh-so-popular Winter Solstice and Misted Pines quilt patterns. You can download the Misted Mountains block pattern here.
Find the links to the 20 other participating Quilt Block Mania designers’ blocks here:
Snow-Capped Mountain by Carolina Moore
Mountain Tunnel by Patchwork Breeze
Driving through the Mountains by Crafty Staci
Snowdon Lily
Mountain by Inquiring Quilter
Boondocking by Scrapdash
Blue Ridge Mountains Appliqué by Sew Worthy Mama
Purple Mountains Majesty by QuiltFabrication
Misted Mountains by Patti’s Patchwork
Star
Hiking Bear by Colette Belt Designs
Edelweiss by Tourmaline & Thyme Quilts
Forest Bird by Slightly Biased Quilts
Mountain Forest by Oh Kaye Quilting
Snow Hat by Amanda Harris
Rhododendrom by Emerald Falls Quilts
Log Cabin by Appliques Quilts and More
Take a Hike by Epida Studio
Winter Night by Studio B Quilt
Sedona Red Rocks
Almost Heaven
Did you know that I offer kits for my Winter Solstice quilt pattern?
These kits contain a hand-selected combination of 12 coordinated shades of brown/taupe/gray to make a throw-, queen– or king-size quilt. I also offer blue/green and blue/purple kits of Misted Pines in throw-, queen– and king-size. These very popular kits sell out as soon as I add a new batch to my online shop.
Will you be travelling to Quilt Canada in Edmonton AB in 2 weeks for Canada’s annual national quilting conference/show? If so, please stop by the Northcott/Banyan/FIGO booth and say hello. I just might have a fabric-related treat for you!
Cheers,
Patti
pattispatchwork-blog.com 