Ruby Star Economy Quilt Finish

Way back in October 2024, I started making economy blocks as my retreat sewing project. They were fun to assembly - so many cute images. Finishing the quilt was a goal for this year but it took a back seat to the quilts I made for QuiltCon.

The smaller blocks went on the back along with leftover large scraps. Making a pieced back is not a favorite thing for me but I think it worked out just fine for this quilt.

A spiral quilting design is one of my all time favorites! This quilt is just for me! It will hang out on the chair in my sewing space and get much use when I sit and read or stitch.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Celebration of My QuiltCon 2026 Entries

With QuiltCon submission behind us (whew!), I wanted to share a sneak peak of the four quilts I submitted to the show. While each quilt brought its own set of challenges, I am very proud of my work and want to celebrate my submissions!

From left to right:

• Happy Dance was entered into Improv. This quilt was such fun to make. The bright colors make me happy.

• Lavender Marmalade was entered into the diamond challenge. I did a lot (for me) custom walking foot quilting which resulted in so, so many threads needed to be buried.

• Play Time! was entered into group/bee quilts and is the result of a collaboration with my @quiltsunscriptedbee friends.

• 1 1 2 3 5 8 was entered into the fabric challenge. This is the first quilt I’ve entered into the show that is entirely hand quilted.

I'll post more information about these quilts soon. Until then, fingers crossed that some of my quilts will hang in the show in Raleigh. Congratulations and good luck to everyone who submitted!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Virginia Quilt Museum MQG exhibit

I am very excited to share that my quilt Echo is featured in a "Modern Quilting: A Selection of Quilts from QuiltCon shows" at the Virginia Quilt Museum. The exhibit contains 24 quilts, made by 23 artists and runs through December. 

The quilt museum is in Dayton, VA and occupies an old mill. The modern quilting exhibit was on the first floor. The second floor housed a collection of beautiful applique quilts and lots of antique sewing machines along with a learning center.

The quilt shown above was made in 1858 by Esther Matthews and is called Shenandoah Valley Botanical Album. The quilt contains 25 blocks showing a different plants from the Shenandoah Valley. The workmanship was exquisite. The quilt was passed down through four generations of her family and donated in 2006 to the museum.

I was excited that quilts from fellow members of the Triangle MQG, namely Sara Young, Charles Cameron, Michelle Wilke, and Mackenzie Barrett were were also featured in the exhibit. Four of the five of us were able to attend the artist event.

(Top row:) Homegrown NC Indigo Quilt - Close to Home, by Mackenzie Barrett, Colosseum by Michelle Wilke, Echo by Patty Dudek  (Bottom row:) Broken Trellis by Michelle Wilke, Catalano by Sara Young, Local Density 01 by Charles Cameron

The artist event was held Saturday afternoon where we were given the opportunity to talk about our quilts to an audience of about 50 people. It was fun to hear what other makers had to say about their designs and process and talk to others in attendance.

I ended up dressing to match my quilt!

Echo is a quilted version of a flowsnake fractal, a never-ending geometric pattern made by continuous line bending at 60-degree angles. Originally designed for the Magenta Pantone challenge, the fractal image was created online. The quilting used directional quilting lines in magenta and light pink that extend the fractal pattern into the quilt's empty spaces. This invites viewers to wonder: is the fractal expanding into those empty spaces or contracting and leaving behind an echo of where it once was?

Dayton, Ohio is about 4ish hour drive from my home. As part of the trip, we spent a few hours hiking at the Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia. The bridge is about 200 feet tall and is the largest limestone arch in North America. It was purchased in 1774 by Thomas Jefferson.

Dayton is a small town (population ~1,600) which includes a Mennonite community. Saturday morning, I was delighted to see about a dozen horse and buggies traveling down main street!

It is an honor to have my quilt Echo featured in this exhibit and I thank the MQG and the Virginia Quilt Museum for supporting this event. It was such a fun weekend and I truly enjoyed the event.

Have a wonderful day! Patty