Pat Sloan's Blog

Pat Sloan: Finding Paradise

Can Paradise REALLY be a pumpkin? Well it can if it is MORE than one! This is "Pumpkin Paradise" block 7 of my 9 block "Red Apple Lane" BOM being run by quilt shops. Make a single block or the whole quilt.. let's take a look

I can't wait to hang this quilt in my home, right now it's 'touring' to visit all of you! I can't decide if I'll hang it in my living room or use it on the couch.

Which would you do?

I loved selecting the fabrics for this block. I mixed my cotton and batiks. The batiks allow me so much range of color and 'shading' and go perfect with cottons. It's a great way to work...

A close up of the quilting and stitching.

For the pumpkins I quilted curves for the ridges, I like how it makes the shape feel even  more curvy. 

The watering can is accented with a rim. Quilting gives the can a vertical feel. This is my tonal red from the batiks in the line. 

If you have not mixed your fabrics yet, you should! Don't they look great? 

I never tire of the shape of a pumpkin. Right now I'm spotting loads of fun photos of gardens where the pumpkins are just starting to form. The blossom is so beautiful! One year my neighbors planted pumpkins in their front gardent and they spread out over the yard .. their children had SUCH a blast watching them grow.  

This photo was taken at one of my local markets last fall, the grey green pumpkins fascinate me.

The blocks look fantastic by themselves or grouped into the whole quilt.

• CLICK HERE for Prior Sew Along Posts. You can always find them on the sidebar's black category button
• My "Pumpkin Paradise" block  is made with all my 'Eat Your Fruit and Veggie" fabrics. CLICK HERE to see my line and where to buy it. 
• Need Help? Ask at my Quilt group HERE!
• Need the patterns or a kit to Join me for the fun? CLICK HERE for buying INFO
• NEED JUST the Pumpkin Block? Buy at my publisher HERE

Related articles

Pat Sloan: New Sew Along.. with MY fabric.. woot!

Pat Sloan: Why I like them...

Pat Sloan: Nothing Compares

Pat Sloan: Dragonfly Dance with Show and Tell!

Pat Sloan: Oh so SWEET...

Oh so sweet eh? I am CAUGHT UP on Amy Gibson's Sugar Block Club.. yeah!  This is my 'low volumne' quilt.

I am working with one layer cake and a bit of yardgae. Using just the low constrat fabrics and adding in a bit of cream I had in my stash.. and another dark tan.  I do have yardage of the Aqua floral.

Click here if you want to buy the Sugar Blocik Club.. its so fun!

I am doing this post on the road and don't have my link party code with me.. bleh! So share your lastest project, finish or purchase in the comments!

Pat Sloan: New Sew Along.. with MY fabric.. woot!

A summer of sewing.. and not just ANY sewing.. but sewing that will take your skills to the next level or tune up what you are doing right now! My good friend Michele Foster is hosting her 'Aim for Accuracy' sew along and she is using my "Bobbins and Bit" fabric in her quilt!

I was thrilled she wanted to use my fabric for her project. Be sure your stores have it ordered from Moda so that you can get some!

The quilt finishes at 58" x 82" and contains 30 blocks and a few single units. The best part is that her blocks are NOT complicated!  The most complicated unit is quarter square triangles. The entire quilt is pieced, no paper piecing, no y-seams and no partial seams.

Michele really knows how to host a summer sew along.. easy peasy summer breezy!

This is an advanced beginner quilt. She will be showing you step-by-step photo instructions for each lesson and tips along the way too... nice eh?

The first lesson will be June 20th, but two other pre-lessons are planned see the schedule.

CLICK HERE to Michele's website page for all the details! 

Then join the FB group or Flickr group where there are already a load of fantastic fabric options!

I plan to use these pieces from 'Bobbins and Bits'.. and I might need a bit of orange thrown it.. but a bit.. or the red.. we'll see how it goes! The cream will be instead of the black that Michele used!

This is my show and tell today!!

Now I'd love to see YOURS! Put a direct link to your latest blog post, your flickr folder (did you share something new?), your pinterest board, or how about your latest project loaded to craftsy?

Click the blue box and follow the directions..let's have some fun!

I can't wait to see your latest quilt, finish, start or pile of yummy fabric!

 

Pat Sloan: Nothing Compares

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."

~John F. Kennedy, U.S. president

Bringing out the bike means it's truly SUMMER time!!  I think this MIGHT be my favorite block in the quilt. I had such a great time designing and making this one.

Look at this bike for your garden!! I SO LOVE It! Would you do this?

xx

here is the whole quilt, incase you forgot.. wink!

If you are near We're Sew Creative in Concord NC.. they have my quilt visiting them! Take a photo of yourself with my quilt and send it to me!!

When I laid out this block I went in this order

• Positioned the tire
• Then the handles and bars
• then the basket and filled it with the flowers
• Tucked the green leaves into the flower bakset
• added berries and butterfly
• THEN fuse the entire layout at once

I mixed blanket stitching and straight stitching.

I liked to have that added texture around the flowers of the blanket stitch so it gave them definition from each other

I used blue painters tape to layout the spoke lines then did a backstitch next to the tape to create the lines. This works great so you can see where the lines are!

Deb in NYC finished her Salad Bowl block from last month... yeah Deb!

share what you have made from my pattern and fabric in my Flickr Group HERE

My "Simple Pleasure" block  is made with all my 'Eat Your Fruit and Veggie" fabrics. CLICK HERE to see my line and where to buy it. This is block 6 of my "Red Apple Lane" Block of the Month being run by quilt shops. Make a single block or the whole quilt!

Need Help? Ask at my Quilt group HERE!

Need the patterns or a kit to Join me for the fun? CLICK HERE for buying INFO

NEED JUST the Bike Block? Buy at my publisher HERE

Pat Sloan: Fresh is better!

May is time to think about FRESH Fruits! At least it is for me. In our Brambleberry Friends Sew Along our May block is the long Pear block. I have several pears with a branch of flowers. Green pears, yellow pears, maybe you want to do a reddish pear! The Fresh Pears will be here before we know it.

So here it is May.. and the time has come to work on your block and get it done!

How else can you use this block? In the book I show you an awesome pillow done in 2 color ways

you could also use this as a table runner, a door topper(area above the door), and applique the pears to a tea towel for fast decorating project.

The flowers are appliqued to the sewing bag that is on the cover! This bag opens sort of 'flat' so it will lay nice in your lap with your project in it. Just fold up to take along!

The pears... I used this fantastic batik for the background so it looks like I did embroidery!

CLICK HERE to see a close-up of  last month's Dragonfly blog

CLICK HERE to add your blocks to my Flickr Pool! There are some dragonfly blocks there already!

CLICK HERE if you need the book, I'll sign it!

What is your Favorite fruit of ALL TIME?

 AND be sure to get in on my 2 giveaways HERE and HERE

Pat Sloan: Dragonfly Dance with Show and Tell!

So many of you want a little MOTO-VATION to make my Brambleberry Friends quilt! Maybe you bought it as a kit years ago and with all the UFO busting you've found the bag you keep it in.... or maybe you saw it for the first time at one of my shows, or in my latest book... the Batik version is really catching the eye of so many of you. So here it is April.. and the time has come to Sew-A-Long.. and get it done!

 

Because I am ready for SPRING and don't feel like making snowmen.. we'll actually START with the 4th block "Dragonfly Dance".  Fun? fun!

You could make this a pillow, put it on the front of a tote bag, or .. hey.. start the quilt!

Those are rhinestones for the eyes. You can do French knots as another option or tiny button... very very tiny buttons.  

CLICK HERE if you need the book, I'll sign it!

This is my show and tell today!!

Now I'd love to see YOURS! Put a direct link to your latest blog post, your flickr folder (did you share something new?), your pinterest board, or how about your latest project loaded to craftsy?

Click the blue box and follow the directions..let's have some fun!

I can't wait to see your latest quilt, finish, start or pile of yummy fabric!