The Quilt Sweater

QuiltCon fashion is a bit part of the experience and I made myself 2 new articles of clothing for the big event. The first I'm sharing is my 'quilt sweater'.

Why a sweater?

First, it's not quilt a traditional quilted coat - there is no batting and no lining fabric. 

Instead, the fabric is sewn directly onto a disassembled sweatshirt.! The technique of using a sweatshirt is not a new one - I seem to remember seeing these back in the late 70s/early 80s.

Here are the basic steps:

• I prewashed my sweat shirt and then cut it apart using scissors cutting as close to the seam as possible. Once cut, I neatened up the sleeves and front panels and made sure the pairs matched.
• Using a basting stitch, I sewed back the seam just to make sure that it was going to fit and then pulled those stitches out!
• I sewed a whole bunch of HST and made panels which were just slightly larger that my sweatshirt pieces.
• Everything was carefully ironed flat and then I basted the HST panels to the sweatshirt as close to the edge that I could. I choose to keep the fuzzy part of the sweat shirt as the inside.
• Using 12 wt thread, a few lines of hand quilting were added on each panel just to keep things from sliding around. Once complete, the excess of the HST panel was trimmed away

• Pockets were basted to each of the front panels
• Reassembled the garment with a 3/8" seam allowance and curved the top of the front panels slightly for a more flattering edge.
• 
  Bias binding was machine sewn and then hand sewn to the back.

The sleeves gave me the most trouble. When they were disassembled, I didn't cut very close to the seam so they were smaller then I liked. I ended up putting an open pleat on each one so it wasn't too tight.

I love a good pocket and really felt the hoodie sweatshirt style pocket would work well. I assembled HST for the front and the lining for the pocket. 

Because I could, I lined up the HSTs on the pockets with those on the front panel. The very top of the pocket was stitched down while the sides and bottom were caught up in the side seam and the binding.

The very top of the pocket was stitched down while the sides and bottom were caught up in the side seam and the binding.

This quilt sweater was the perfect weight for the convention floor. I got many a complement and even ended up in Quiltfolk's fashion reel. In fact, I am the thumbnail - my claim to fame - see the reel here.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

My Emerson Crossbody Bag

I make a lot of bags! I find the process of construction to be quite enjoyable and it is fun to go out into the world with a bag you constructed. My latest make - The Emerson Crossbody Bag - is a great bag for everyday use. It fits my phone, my sunglass case and my wallet - just a perfect size!

I used 2 FQs I scored from the Ruby Star booth at QuiltCon. I shopped late Saturday when I found a surprisingly short line. At that point, supply was low and there weren't a FQs to choose from, but I really liked what I purchased and decided to make good use of them right away. 

I did supplement the lining fabric with an off white solid for the binding.

Overall, a great pattern with well written instructions. I saw a version made by a friend while at QuiltCon and she advised that the pattern is addictive. She is right - I am already trying to figure out who I can made another one for!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

QuiltCon Recap Part 3 - The Best Bits

This is the third in my series of posts about QuiltCon 2026. The first recap post was about my quilts - Play Time! and Lavender Marmalade - and the second was about some favorite quilts in the show. This post is about some of the best bits!

I made myself a quilt 'sweater' for the show. I need to share more details about the construction in a future post. Basically it was a lightweight quilt coat and provided just the right level of warmth for the show floor. Fabrics used were all Alison Glass!

The QuiltCon Crew

Raleigh was the 4th year that the four of us have shared a AirBnB and spent time together during the show - me, Jenn, Frances, and Kristin.

Our house this year was a cute one and located about 10 minutes from the convention center. 

Quilts Unscripted Bee-mates

I joined this bee last year and what fun it was to spend time with them and celebrate 3 bee member quilts in the show. 

Not everyone was able to attend the dinner or every photo op, but I am thrilled to be part of this group. They are all talented, kind, and so very welcoming!

Sarah, me, Chris, Jenn, Charles, Elizabeth, Jan (friend of a bee member), E.A.and Ellyn. Not pictured is Sarah who was ill, Emily who was teaching and Isabell who was working!

Ellyn's quilt Memphis Madness: Who Threw the Christmas Tree Down the Stairs and my quilt Play Time! were hanging back to back on the curtain so we did a fun photo!

Triangle MQG  - My Guild!

Since QuiltCon is in my backyard, I very much enjoyed the change to see Guild Members every day. 

We did a group photo on Saturday with about 40 of our members able to show up. They are quite the inspirational and friendly bunch of people.

Chromatic Alchemy - My Class

I enjoy taking a 1/2 day class during the show and this year's was one of the best yet - playing with color with Carolina Oneto! My friend Chris was in the class and we had fun comparing our paper creations as we worked through different color exercises. Carolina is a wonderful teacher!

Volunteering!

Ever since my very first QuiltCon in Savanah in 2017, I've enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer at the show. I managed to volunteer for 16+ hours, motivated to achieve Super Volunteer status. (As a Super Volunteer you get a swag bag plus the chance to register early for classes at a future QuiltCon.) All my shifts were outside of show days. I hung quilts on Tuesday, worked registration on Wednesday and then assisted in the shipping of all the show quilts. I really enjoyed every shift but I am not sure I will do this again. It meant 7 days of QuiltCon and I was quite tired by the end!

I'm planning one final post on overall reflections sometime later this month.

Have a wonderful day! Patty