QuiltCon 2025 - My Quilts

Phoenix was the site of QuiltCon for 2025 and I had a terrific time! The conference center was really nice with plenty of wide open spaces for the quilts and the vendors. 

I arrived on Wednesday, spent time with my sister visiting the Botanical Gardens and then did my favorite volunteering shift during registration. (If you've an upcoming visit to Phoenix, I would highly recommend spending time at the gardens.)

I was fortunate enough to have two quilts juried into the show. Showing them off to my sister Thursday morning was priority one! (She encouraged a fun photoshoot too.)

For fellow Trekkies, Island in the Sky is my rendition of the utopian island featured in TOS “The Cloud Minders” episode.

Inspired by Irene Roderick’s Dancing with the Wall book, the creation process for this quilt was a slow dance as I worked through different book chapters to create a pile of improv units over the course of several months. Overall, the final dance with the design wall was an incredibly fun and playful experience.

This is one of my all time favorite makes and it was thrilling to see it in the show. It was in the Small Quilts category.

Arcturus, a red-giant star, is the 4th brightness star in the Northern sky. It is easy to find for amateur stargazers (like me!) by following the curve of the Big Dipper's handle - extend the curve beyond the handle and you’ll find Arcturus. The star can be found right overhead in the summer night sky. 

The quilt design was loosely based on the concept of a medallion quilt and was a fun challenge to assemble.

Arcturus was in the Fabric Challenge category. The other quilts in this category were just spectacular and one of my favorite group of quilts to explore.

I wore my work in progress denim jacket while at the show. I think I got more compliments on it then my quilts! :-)

I plan a series of posts about QuiltCon in the next week or so as I have done in the past. For a summary of previous QuiltCon memories, see this post.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

QuiltCon Memories

It's QuiltCon season! The show floor opens Thursday in Phoenix so I want to gather memories of past QuiltCon's all in one post!   Memories

My first QuiltCon was Savannah in 2017 - photos above. I had only recently discovered the MQG and joined my local guild. I knew very few people when the show started but knew so many more once it ended! I got to meet blog friends in person and met a slew of folks when volunteering. The show was so incredibly inspiring and I knew I found my people. 

My very first quilt to be accepted into QuiltCon was Briar Rose in Nashville, 2019. I was over the moon thrilled to have a quilt in the show! In fact, I spent too much time 'stalking' my quilt - standing away from it and watching to see people look at it.

Volunteering is one of my favorite things to do at QuiltCon, especially the Wednesday registration time period - you see so many friends and quilting royalty. A bit of both in this photo from Auston, 2020.

Top: Paige, Karen, Linda
Middle: Sarah, Jacquie, Kitty
Bottom: Tara, Anja, Christa

I had an amazing total of  4 quilts on display in the virtual QuiltCon Together in 2021. 

Boomerang - which was also featured as a pattern in QuiltCon magazine - along with Carnival,  Cartwheel and Astro. Astro was a MQG quilt of the month. 

I missed attending Phoenix in 2022 - too much Covid anxiety - but 3 of my quilts were there. Boomerang hung in the actual show (the MQG allowed quilts to be resubmitted that had been juried into QuiltCon Together.) 

I Believe in Dragons was part of the Small Quilt category.  (Read more about it here.)

Left Turn was part of the Hexagon Challenge.  (Read more about it here.)

QuiltCon in 2023 was in Atlanta. I had two quilts in the show. Patent Pending was a fun group quilt and I enjoyed doing 'ta da' photos with everyone.

 Linda @florishingpalms, Kitty @nightquilter, Charles @feltlikesweets, Val @valbetweenquilts, and Me (kneeling);2nd row Pat @peacockcreekdesigns and Sarah @saroy; Not pictured - Yvonne @quiltingjetgirl

My quilt Decade was part of the MQG 10th anniversary exhibit.

Finally, QuiltCon 2024 was in Raleigh, about 20 minutes away from my home which gave me lots of time for volunteering - still a favorite activity! I was fortunate enough to have 3 quilts in the show. Echo, which was also in QuiltCon magazine gallery, Mending Fences, and The Twist.

It's been a blast revisiting all these prior shows.

Phoenix, here I come!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Cute Economy Blocks - Progress Report

I love Ruby Star fabric and have been having great fun for months making economy blocks where the centers are from two panels. I've now got all the 4" x 4" finished squares sewn into 12" x 12" finished blocks.

When I made the nine patches, I payed attention to color and not necessarily the cute pattern inside the squares. As I result, I've got some fun unplanned combination. In the bottom row alone, there is a lion roaring at a turtle (center) and a bear giving side-eye to some gummy bears (right)!

This quilt is for us as a couch quilt and I look forward to discovery other fun 'vignettes' when the blocks are all sewn together.

Next up is to create blocks from all the 3" x 3" finished squares.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

New iPad Case

After purchasing a new iPad, I wanted a soft case to keep it protected especially when I carry it in a bag. Isn't this fabric from Ruby Star just perfect?

The gold works perfectly as both the lining and the accent on the front of the bag. I used two layers of fusible fleece to give it some thickness. No pattern for this one - I really just made it up as I went.

P.S. I have a tutorial that I wrote back in 2014 for making an iPad case which involves binding. 

Have a wonderful day! Patty