Author Archives: Pam

I made my first quilted item as a visual aid for a math project in 7th grade. Over the next 25 years quilting was hit or miss, but quilting took over all the other crafts I've done in 2003.

What I’m Working on Wednesday – 1/21

January 21, 2026 2:03 pm ⋅ Pam

Yesterday I was feeling good enough after my surgery the previous day to sew a bit. While working on the block on the bottom right I realized it was “Handwork Tuesday”, but decided to finish the block since my shows didn’t come on until 8 PM that’s when I discovered I sewed the block turning the wrong way. As for the handwork, I picked up the red work, looked at it and put it back down. I’ll try again next week.

It’s time for a nap, but afterwards, I’ll be ripping out the block to make it rotate the other way.

Posted in: designwall, Windmill Weave

Quilt #2 of 2026 – Chain of Blossoms in Green & Orange

January 18, 2026 8:52 am ⋅ Pam

Yesterday a couple of friends came over to see my quilts and hear their stories as even if it is winter, my sister doesn’t need that many quilts on the bed. I told stories, we folded the quilts and stacked them in the other bedroom. If I had a matching pillowcase, it went into it. I didn’t think to get a picture before I dropped the sheet over them. This stack also includes most of my vintage quilts. One day I’ll have a proper way to store and showcase them, but for now, this will do. Now to the finish.

This is the 2nd Chain of Blossom quilt. I used purple binding with an orange flange simply because that’s all the matching fabric I had left. This is quilt is on my Brandon Quilters UFO list.

Chain of Blossom 2

Started 12/25/24
Finished 1/17/26
47 x 47
Nectar B2B
Glide Thread – Kiwi

Up next is Windmill Weave.

Posted in: 2026 Brandon Quilters UFO, Chain of Blossoms, Windmill Weave

Chain of Blossom 2 – Quilted

January 16, 2026 10:26 am ⋅ Pam

Although I should have been folding laundry, I chose to work on my 2nd Chain of Blossom quilt. I added a narrow white stop border before the outer border. Finding fabric was a challenge. I though I had enough but came up about 20″ short, so found another FQ with a similar background and low volume print. The outer border used up the rest of that piece of fabric.

I dug in my box of backing scraps – the ones that are too big to chop up — then I loaded the backing backwards. At this point the rest of the backing will go into the strip bins. I still need to cut those, but I ran out of time.

The batting is even pieced together from 3 pieces I measured and prepped earlier this week.

The binding is cut, tonight I hope to get the binding on. It will be purple with an orange flange — the same fabrics in the quilt. I only have a strip of each left.

Meanwhile, my Quilt Studio is still clean – of course it’s only been a day. After the binding is attached to the quilt I’ll process that little pile of fabric next to the cutting mat.

Posted in: Chain of Blossoms

Batting Scraps

January 15, 2026 11:51 am ⋅ Pam

I’m a longarm quilter and purchase batting by the 96″ wide roll. Most of the quilts I made do not have a dimension of 90″. As a result I end up with batting scraps. The pile got to be quite large. Last night I cleaned up the pile. If the piece was less than 10″ wide, I cut it into 2 1/2″ strips for jelly roll rugs. I think I have enough for now. The big stack to the right have all been measured. This will allow me to easily grab a pieced for smaller quilts or even to make frankenbatts. Now I need to remember I’ve put them in a tub under my longarm.

After dealing with the batting I added the sashing and cornerstones to my second Chain of Blossoms. Now I need to figure out the border. I’m not sure what my plan was for the border, but I don’t have much fabric left. I have 1/2 a yard of 2 different greens, the purple and the orange. My scrappy neutrals I just have what is left from a FQ of some of the fabrics. No telling what I’ll figure out tonight.

Posted in: Chain of Blossoms

Handwork Tuesday

January 14, 2026 12:46 am ⋅ Pam

Handwork Tuesday actually started on Monday evening after Bunco. I prepped these blue hexies for the next row — just as soon as I get the neutral row stitched onto the section I’m working.

Tuesday, I stitched this section of my redwork. Time to move the hoop. Since I’ve worked on these two projects, I suppose next week I need to make a star.

On the Studio cleaning front I found my flat surfaces! The box on the sewing table is a bookshelf I need to assemble for the Sunroom, but I need to get the paint cans moved so I have a place for it. But since the flat surfaces are cleared, I can now start working on the Green and Orange Chain of Blossoms. I would love to get it quilted this week.

Posted in: Chain of Blossoms, cleaning, Handwork Tuesday, Hexies, Star-A-Day, Trip Around the World, Winter Wonderland

Quilt Studio Cleaning

January 12, 2026 8:24 am ⋅ Pam

It’s an ongoing battle to keep the mountains of fabric beat back. Between multiple on-going projects and the desire or need to move to the next project, stuff gets piled on my tables. Honestly, I’m not sure when I last saw the surface of that far table. It’s supposed to be be my cutting table. But instead of speeding ahead into my next project I started working on the tables. I have a deadline — Sunday. My sister will be here for 2 week sharing the space with me.

On the near left corner is fabric which needs to make it into one of my FQ bins. I’m stacking it because I’m sure there is more and my fabric bins are stuffed. I may need to shuffle fabric to get it all put away. On the stool in front of the far table is yardage. Honestly I’m not sure there’s room in the cabinet, but I can’t put it in there without more comic book boards, so I gave in and ordered them. They should be here sometime today.

As I’ve been cleaning up the scraps I’ve added them to my strips bins — selvedges, strings, 1 1/2″, 2″ and 2 1/2″ strips. Only the very top layer is new and there is more on the table. In fact I counted 5 bags and bins of scrap fabric. There’s one on the floor by the table, a bag on the table and 3 bins under my longarm. Maybe after I get through a couple more of my UFOs I’ll do a scrap quilt.

This is the next quilt I plan to finish. It is the 2nd version of the 2025 Brandon Quilters Mystery Quilt. I want to put in sashing and cornerstones. But first I have to finish the cleaning.

Posted in: Chain of Blossoms, cleaning, mystery quilts, scraps

First Finish of 2026

January 11, 2026 10:08 am ⋅ Pam

My first version of the 2025 Brandon Quilters Mystery, Chain of Blossom, is finished. This quilt is on my Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge for 2026. All the fabric came from my stash, thus the design decision on the binding. I think I have a 1 1/2″ wide strip of the gold and maybe a 7″ strip of the blue left.

Chain of Blossoms

Started 12/1/2024
Finished 1/10/2026
43″ x 43″
E2E – Nightlight
Sand thread

Additionally, I finished my Twirling Leaves top and made the backing for it. I am sending this one out to Shelly Pagliai at Prairie Moon Quilts. I’m a head of schedule since my slot is in March.

My sister is visiting for 2 weeks to use the longarm. I think she has a dozen tops ready to quilt. So I plan on spending this week cleaning the quilt studio and cutting hexies. I have hexies cut for yellow and neutral, but I need to cut and prep blues and oranges since I’ve changed how I’m putting the quilt together. Once I’ve got the tables clean, then I’ll work on the my next UFO – the 2nd version of the mystery quilt.

Posted in: Chain of Blossoms, Trip Around the World, Twirling Leaves, UFOs

A Very Good Quilty Day

January 10, 2026 12:41 am ⋅ Pam

Friday was a very good quilty day. First I was paid for quilting I did that I expected no payment for. Then I recounted the stars. That bottom right star is #113, the next to the last star journaled. This means I have all the stars that I’ve made. Star # 114 is in my Star-A-Day box along with Star #115 which I had not journaled. I suspect it’s because I lost 2 of the swatches. I pressed that star, did my journaling and glued in the one piece of fabric I did find. Only 250 stars to go.

Then I quilted this cute Crayon quilt. Back in August, Brandon Quilters had a program on Crayon quilts and everyone made a block during the meeting. One of our members took the blocks home and she brought 2 quilt tops to the meeting on Monday. I found some pink floral fabric in my stash for the backing. When I get the other one quilted I’ll give them back for her to bind. Ultimately they will be Community Quilt. I have the backing made for the 2nd quilt, I just need to figure out how I’m going to quilt it.

While this was quilting, I continued working on Twirling Leaves. Just one more block to finish!

Posted in: Crayon 1, Star-A-Day

First Quilt off the Longarm in 2026

January 9, 2026 11:18 am ⋅ Pam

My first long arm quilt for 2026 is off the long arm, it just needs to be bound now. This is Chain of Blossoms, the 2025 Brandon Quilters Mystery quilt that I designed. Just needs a binding now.

Posted in: Chain of Blossoms

Handwork Tuesday on Wednesday

January 8, 2026 6:04 am ⋅ Pam

Although I should have spent time working on my Twirling Leaves, I decided to look for my hexie bag. It didn’t turn up after yet another pass through the Quilt Studio, so I headed into the house. I started in the front bedroom. Didn’t find it, but waded through 2 large crates, sorting into trash, donate, put away and to be dealt with. The later ended up in just one small crate about 1/3 the size of the 2 I started with, but no hexie bag.

That meant I needed to dig though the boxes in the other room. There was no sorting this time, just digging and I located it! I haven’t found my hexie punch, but it’s not a priority at the moment.

I’m not sure what I was thinking when I put this away. Many of the outer edge hexies are only stitched to the main body and not each other. I worked on those for a while then decided I need to work in sections instead of the round. Well, at least that’s what I thought tonight. We’ll see how it goes.

I drew on my pattern where I want the first section. In this section each row is one more hexie until there are 22 hexies, then each subsequent row is 2 fewer. It’s a good thing this is a WISP because this one section will take me a while at 12-15 hexies a week.

Tonight I may make a pass looking for the Star-a-Day journal, but then I’ll get back on Twirling Leaves. That deadline is looming.

P.S. I waded through my posts to see if I could find a picture of the hexie journal so I know what I’m looking for. This is the only one I found. With this new knowledge, I made another pass through the Quilt Studio and the front bed room.

Look what I found.

Then as I was making this addition to the post, I thought about the box in the closet in the 2nd bedroom. Not finding it there, I made a quick pass though some of the other boxes in the room — and look what I found.

Star # 114 on 4/8/18 is when I pressed the last star that I’ve made. I only counted the stars that I have sewn to the background. I hope the rest of the stars are in the box of pieces, but that is one goose chase that will have to wait until later today.

Posted in: Handwork Tuesday, Trip Around the World