Bee Blocks - January, February, March

February marked the end of my first bee year for the @unscriptedquiltsbee. I have really enjoyed the monthly challenges from fellow bee mates. Rounding out the season, @elizabethkray asked for Plus blocks using a palette of bright colors. It was fun to interpret this prompt in different ways for my blocks. @bysarahruiz asked for classic snake blocks with a pieced background. (My photo doesn't really capture the fabric colors correctly but the curve snake is a teal color.)

Here are all the blocks for my first year in the bee:

March kicked off the beginning of the new bee year. It was very fun to make these spring colored blocks. @emilylangquilts asked for stripes in spring orange, yellow, pink with small bits of blue and/or green. 

My goal has been to get the blocks done in the month they are assigned. I've managed to do this so far, although I finished the February blocks on the last day of the month!

I've got June again this year. I've not yet decided on my prompt but still have time to do so. (For 2025, my prompt was balance - here are the blocks I collected and my quilt!)

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Citrus

Introducing Citrus - my latest pattern! Citrus is a modern twist on a Drunkards' Path quilt. It is fun and quick to assemble and a great way to showcase color or fun fabrics.

Citrus debuted at QuiltCon and was exclusive to Cary Quilting at that time. You can purchase either the paper pattern or a digital download. They have even put together a fabric bundle which include the fabrics I used in the quilt - Kona Cyan, Marmalade and Citrus. They had a number of new patterns in their booth from NC designers. (See their IG reel.)

Citrus comes in a wall hanging (45" x 31") which hung in the booth at QuiltCon and a throw quilt (52" x 52".)

I had fun with the quilting - straight lines for the background and then walking foot quilting that echoed the curved shapes. There are also some areas of hand quilting thrown in!

The pattern is FQ friendly and fabric requirements are shown as FQs or yardage. A curve template is included but you can substitute an acrylic template if you have one!

Interested in making your own version? You can purchase the pattern from the links above or via my pattern store. Use code CITRUS for 25% off a digital pattern at my shop through March 31, 2026.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

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

QuiltCon 2026 Recap Part 2 - The Quilt Show

This is the second in my series of posts about my experiences in QuiltCon. The first recap post was about my quilts - Play Time! and Lavender Marmalade.

Overall, I took less quilt photos that I typically do at these shows. In fact, I appear NOT to have taken a photo of the Best in Show! Thankfully, the MQG has full photos of all the award winners here.

Midnight and Noon by @creativelifesampler won Best Hand quilting. It was fascinating to view the hand work from the front and the back.

The special exhibit for this year's show was quilts from the Gee's Bend Quilters. A number of quilters were in attendance and some were selling some of their quilts. These were my two favorites.

Both of these pieces were untitled and created by Marlene B. Jones

I did capture photos of some of my favorite quilts from the show and some of these were award winners in their categories.

(top) Elemental by @patticoppock, Stone @carolina_oneto, Small Acts @jen.broemel

(middle) Straw into Gold @bimbambuki_blog, Connect #2 @b_plus_q, Field Counts 1 @susanjlapham

(bottom) 2718 @quiltingjetgirl, Tinker Toys @wildpoppyquilts,  (I didn't capture the name of the artist - if you know, please comment so I can update the post!)

I love each of these quilts for so many different reasons: Straw into Gold is a repurposed rag, 2718 and Elemental for the precision of the piecing, Stone for the simplicity of the design and Small Acts and Connect #2 for the handwork.  

Having QuiltCon in our backyard made seeing quilts from fellow Triangle MQG guild members very exciting. The guild had a total of 11 quilts in the show, 2 of which were mine. I am so proud of the talent in our guild! In addition, we had 6 quilts (that I'm aware of) in the youth category!

(top) Gerrymander @karen_jones_kepley, Flock @rachelbrownartstudio, No Kings @aw_quilts

(middle) Paraboleum  @spanishquilter, Exothermic @spanishquilter, Possimpible  @meliwoodcrafts

(bottom) Fortress @rct_quilts, 2 Bee the 10 of Us @feltlikesweets, Boo  @ohsewsphynxy

There were a lot of quilts which focused on the terrible things going on in the US right now as it relates to our treatment of immigrants, LGBTQ+, and the overall state of the country. There were certainly more than these 9 but they were the ones that spoke to me.

(top) - Threads Speak @alderwoodstudio. This quilt was the first place winner in Group and Bee Quilts; Based On Race by Carey Petersen; Stitching What's Been Silenced by Sandra Hoyt

(middle) - Resistance @made_by_ecz; The Part of History @thequiltymagpie; He's Eating the Dogs, He's Eating the Cats @spaghetti_and_thread

(bottom) -  All Out of Fucks @cottonandbourbon;  Use Them or Lose Them, Banned Words June 2025 @melissasherrow,   No Kings @aw_quilts

I'll have another post in a few days sharing some of the best bits of the experience beyond the actual quilt show!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

QuiltCon Recap Part 1 - My Quilts

QuiltCon returned to Raleigh this year. I was able to attend all 4 days of the show plus I volunteered to hang the show, worked registration on Wednesday and then helped package up and mail all the quilts.

Was I exhausted by the end? Most certainly! But the week long event was so much fun, it was quite worth it!

As I have in past years, I am going to spread my thoughts about QuiltCon over a series of blog posts - this is the first in the series.

Play Time! hung in the Group and Bee category. I so enjoyed watching people react to the stick figures all over the quilt.

The prompt for my bee mates was Balance. I asked everyone to give color and shape to everything they were dealing with on a daily basis. A common theme was finding enough time to create and play. As the blocks came together, they took the shape of a giant playground structure. There are 37 stick figures scattered around the play structure. How many can you find? (Be warned, one guy blends right into the background.)

I was able to grab a photo with 8 of the 10 friends who contributed to the quilt. Such a wonderful group of people!

Standing: Emily @emilylangquilts, Ellyn @ellynz, Me! @elmstreetquilts, E.A. @eacox24, Elizabeth @elizabethkray and Charles @feltlikesweets

Kneeling: Chris @scarf.mama, Isabell @southbaybella, and Jenn @jenngeorgeburt

Not pictured: Sarah @sarahgoerquilts and Sara @bysarahruiz

Lavender Marmalade hung in the Diamonds Quilting Challenge category. Of particular excitement for me is that the quilt and pattern was featured in QuiltCon magazine!

While making this quilt, I kept (softly) singing the first verse and chorus of the Beatles song 'Diamonds in the Sky'. The line "tangerine trees and marmalade skies" inspired the quilt name. Creatively, the biggest challenge was using my walking foot to create the detailed quilting while trying not to focus on the overwhelming task of burying over 1,000 threads!

In addition to the walking foot quilting, I added some hand quilting.

I feel both honored and fortunate to have 2 quilts juried into the show.

Back soon with my next recap - the show quilts!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Introducing Play Time!

I am thrilled to share that my quilt Play Time will be on display at QuiltCon in just a few days.

Early last year, I was invited to join the @unscriptedquiltsbee . My month was June and my prompt for my bee mates was Balance. I asked everyone to give color and shape to everything they were dealing with on a daily basis. Bee members were sent a color palette and a FQ of Painter's Palette Blackberry for the background. You can see all the blocks below - aren't they fun?

Top Row: @emilylangquilts, @sarahgoerquilts and @southbaybella

Middle Row:  @ellynz, @bysarahruiz, @elizabethkray,, and @jenngeorgeburt

Bottom Row: @scarf.mama ,@feltlikesweets, and @eacox24 

As I shuffled the blocks around to figure out the final design, the result resembled a giant playground structure which fit nicely with a common theme that balance was needed to find enough time to create and play.

The background was quilted in a cross-hatch grid and then all the balanced shapes were quilted differently in coordinating colors. (Quilting was done on my domestic machine. I did use a fusible batting for the first time with great results and will do so again. )

As I was quilting it, the idea to add stick figures enjoying the playground was born! There are 37 stick figures scattered around the play structure. If you've a chance to see the quilt in person at the show, let me know how many can you found? (Be warned, one guy blends right into the background!)

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Lavender Marmalade

I am thrilled to share that my quilt plus the pattern for Lavender Marmalade will be featured QuiltCon magazine! Physical copies of the magazine will be available at QuiltCon. Digital copies are available now! Grab yourself a copy and use the discount code QC2650% for 50% off!

Lavender Marmalade is a throw size quilt which finishes 50" x 50". I quilted it on my domestic machine - resulting in lots of threads needed to be buried. The quilt was created as part of QuiltCon's diamond challenge. 

I am honored to have my quilt accepted into the show and featured in the magazine!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Quilted Vest

As a holiday gift for my youngest, I made them a vest! They chose the fabric - Moda Bluebird's Nest - and requested a blue lining fabric. The vest used two charm packs and then yardage purchased for binding and lining. Quilters Dream Request batting was used to keep the vest from being too thick. Quilting was a diagonal 2" grid.

I used a pretty blue solid for the lining and covered the seams with bias binding. This technique makes the vest reversible.

The pattern came from tracing a 'vintage' vest that I've owned for at least 20 years. It was a fun make and I can see myself making another.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

New Kindle Case

Treated myself to a new Kindle over the holidays. (I had my previous one over ten years - it was well used and ready for retirement!) The new Kindle is a bit larger - and way faster - than my previous one so I spent about an hour creating a new case.

I think I spent more time choosing the fabric than actually assembling! 

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Side Hustle

My daughter and I will be visiting Orlando later this month and I wanted a bag for our adventures. This is the Side Hustle bag from byAnnie. 

I've made several of her patterns before and was very familiar with her techniques so this was a fairly quick sew. There was a lot of bulk around the edges where the zippers come together. Her pattern says to use a hammer to pound down the seams - probably should have actually tried that! 

The lining is Toy Story themed fabric. Although the pattern has the strap fastener at the shoulder, mine is at the hip because I thought that would be easier to handle. The directions for the strap and the strap slider were different then what I am used to with other bag patterns. Should I make this bag again, I will likely do the strap differently.

Counting the days until the trip!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Bears!

I am excited to share my latest finish - the Poolside tote by Noodlehead using one of my all time favorite prints from Ruby Star. I love how big and roomy the tote is. This will be my bag for going to quilting related events like sewing with friends and guild meetings.

Those bears sure make me smile!

Pattern modifications & materials:

• Did two zipper pockets on the outside instead of one zipper and one slip pocket
• Added a zipped pocket in the lining
• Added a mesh 'pocket' to keep a water bottle upright in the bag
• Used Soft & Stable on the bag and SF101 for the lining 
• Used a 1 1/2" strap for the handles, about 60" each

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Welcome 2026!

The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a wonderful time to reflect on goals accomplished and to set new ones for the upcoming year.  I recently shared my Best of 2025 post and now I'll be linking up to Yvonne's #2025QuiltingCheckin.  I've filled this post with some eye candy of favorite finishes for the year because it is always fun to share them one more time. (The quilt above is my favorite finish of the year - something I use most days - read more here.)

(For reference, see my 2025 goal post and the mid-year check-in.)

I had 5 intentions for 2025.

• Enter at least one new quilt into QuiltCon 2026 (Raleigh!) -  Done!  I proudly entered 4 quilts into the show. Two were accepted (need to blog about those) and two were not - Happy Dance and 1-1-2-3-5-8.

Happy Dance - a favorite finish!

• Finish at least one scrap quilt to be donated to my guild's community giving project. - Done! I donated the Square Up quilt and have two others in progress! The first is ready for basting and quilting - (Read more.) and the second is at the block stage. Enjoying making these pineapple blocks at this point using blue scraps.
• Make time to play and always have at least 2 different kinds of handwork WIPs -  Done!  I did well with this one. I finished one crochet project and started another plus I've got a hand quilting WIP, a embroidery project and a cross stitch underway.

My Granny Square Blanket

• Continue blogging at least once weekly and post finishes on IG - I want my grid to be filled with all the good stuff! I blogged a lot less this year than I had in the past and I really didn't do much with IG. Some of this was because I was working on quilts that took a long time to make and quilts for QuiltCon entries that I wasn't yet ready to share.

1-1-2-3-5-8

• Focus on my personal well being by making time to exercise, to read, to rest, to relax with friends, and - most importantly - recognize joy in every day. In progress! This continues to be an important intention. I do fine with daily exercise and rest but not as good as I would like on the recognizing joy part. I did make several things that were just for me - not a gift, not a quilt show entry - and those were definitely all about fun! There was some concentrated good time with friends - quilting retreats (two of them!), guild meetings, multiple coffee dates - plus picnics with neighbors and pickleball!

Love the Llamas!

Favorite Bag Make of the Year

Moving into 2026, I have similar intentions for the year:

• Enter at least one new quilt into QuiltCon 2027 (Atlanta)
• Finish at one of my two WIP scrap quilts to be donated to my guild's community giving project.
• Make time to play and always have several kinds of handwork WIPs
• Get more consistent about blogging - posts on finishes and a monthly WIP update - and then IG each finish
• Continue to focus on my personal well being by making time to exercise, to read, to rest, to relax with friends, and - most importantly - recognize joy in every day.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my post. I wish you a happy and creative 2026!

Have a wonderful day! Patty