Patti's Blog
I’ll be adding information to this blog about my creative journey. I hope you’ll follow along and comment.
Sedona Sky
My first finish of 2023! I’m so excited that I finished my Sedona Sky quilt. It’s queen size and fits my bed well! I made this quilt as part of Capital Quilts’ Second Saturday program. I was on retreat in June and some friends were working on their blocks. I loved the quilt and sent a message asking if I could join mid-year. They let me, so I got to work getting caught up. I’m thrilled that I finished this quilt at the same time the year-long Sew Along ended. Most of the blocks in this quilt used the Mini
Let’s Talk Rotary Cutters–Which is your favorite?
If you’re like me, you’re using your rotary cutter a lot this time of year. I’m busy crafting for Christmas, and I find myself reaching for my trusty rotary cutter often! Like most people, when I started quilting, I didn’t know the difference among cutters, and I just bought something on sale. My first cutter was similar to this style: Later, I changed to a Fiskars cutter. I actually owned three of these before I finally figured out that I kept breaking them so it probably was not the best style for me! I have a terrible habit: I’m lazy.
The holidays are here
Here at Sleeping Cat Creations, Christmas is here. Well, not really, but when you run a small business, you always need to be working ahead. Today, I released my 5 Quick Holiday Gifts promotion in the International Quilters’ Guild, and over the weekend, I started adding new products to my online store over at Sleeping Cat Creations for a promotion I plan to release November 1. Holidays also mean events. I’m getting ready for the Holly Days Craft and Vendor Show in Shippensburg on December 17, and teaching the Holiday Ornament class at the Council of the Arts on December
Future Thinking
This morning, I was listening to some episodes of Quilty Biz Chat by Cheryl Sloboda (I recommend you support her over at Patreon if you run a quilt biz). The episodes talked about recent changes in the quilting industry. There has been a steady decline in the global birthrate since 1950, and it is expected to continue to decline: What does this mean for the quilting industry? According to a 2020 survey by Premier Needle Arts, “The average quilter is a retired woman in her 60’s” (https://craftindustryalliance.org/quilting-trends-survey-results-2020). Quilters are primarily Baby Boomers. Although younger (primarily) women do quilt, they tend
Rolling with Life
Sometimes, life throws a curve and you just have to roll with it. I’ve been working on a new program that I hoped to launch this week, but I got a horrible cold last week (that’s still hanging on) and my progress slowed to almost nothing. But you know what? I’m being easy with myself. The deadline was a self-imposed one, so I worked to change my mindset and the date :). Then, today, life threw another curve. My 16-year-old cat, Monty, has a brain tumor. He was diagnosed about 3 years ago, and we didn’t expect him to live
What I’m reading: “Show Your Work!”
“You’re only as good as your record collection.” DJ Spooky I’ve always been a reader. I can’t remember a time in my life that I wasn’t reading. Even while in school, when I had to read a lot of assigned material, I made time to read “for me.” My favorite genre has always been mysteries. But, I also love to read biographies/autobiographies and “real life” stories. A few years ago, I made a conscious decision to start reading more non-fiction. I aim to alternate non-fiction and fiction books, but I’ll admit that I don’t always make that goal (often, what