Polite Society

Welcome to Polite Society.

Polite Society

Designed in EQ8 and made with the Island Batik collection, Essence, Polite Society is a precut-friendly design published in Precut Quilts Made Easy (A Quilter's World publication).

This is a beautiful collection. Look for it in your local quilt shop. For background, I used the Island Batik Neutral Egg White. The binding is another neutral named Glaze.

Published

I quilted using a variegated thread and my trusted walking foot. You guessed it - my favorite squiggly stitch :-) 

Beginner Friendly Quilt Pattern

 

Polite Society is a super easy, beginner-friendly, jelly roll pattern that you can put together easily without any special tools/templates.

The magazine (which is available in stores) has several other precut patterns. I recommend that you check it out.

Check out my Etsy Shop for many precut-friendly patterns as these.

Yamini

Niko

In Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) updates,  I completed Red Blocks for March.

Did you notice that the blocks for January & February are different. Well, I am working on two RSC quilts - separated into cools and warms. The cool colors + white background will make a log cabin quilt and the warm colors + black background will make a "to be named" quilt.

I also picked out my pinks for April. Sharing with all my favorite linky parties (see full list on the sidebar)including Angela's RSC.

Island Batik Pinks

Magically, Nature too got Angela's memo.  All pictures were taken this week.

Lilac

Tulip

Azalea

Pink Dogwood

In other news (and my excuse for no blogging activity in a month), I traveled to my alma mater to reunite with old classmates and reminisce about fun times on and off-campus. 

Glass(es) Reunion

I hope you get to hug your friends. 

Starry Seas BlogHop

Welcome to Day 3 of the Starry Seas BlogHop.

Here is my response!

Dawn to Dusk

When Jennifer of Inquiring Quilter asked me to join the Starry Seas BlogHop, I did not respond at once. I needed to see the fabric collection first. 

Hmmm, what does that inspire? Let's take another look.

It reminded me of my commute. My new job requires me to leave home before dawn and return after dusk, meaning that I experience sunrise and sunset (especially during these winter months), through the sometimes murky train windows. It is both sad and beautiful.

Dawn

Dusk

You get the picture. But there is more. In the tall glass-paned structures along the way, the ombre gradation of the morning sky is reflected such that I can break it into myriad distinct colors/values. 

Ombre 

Can you see how it starts at orange in the bottom, smoothly transitioning to blue in the top, one perfect step at a time?

Sometimes, it is the reflection that reveals what the original cannot. Yes, I am bored. Yes, I look out of the window a lot. 

I had an idea. I shared with Jennifer and she blessed it.

EQ8 Mock-up

I used Solid Black and Egg White, in addition to the fabrics from the collection. The thread is Aurifil. The batting is Thermore by Hobbs. 

The pattern is simple. Are you craving simple in these turbulent times? 

Quilting in process

I let the fabric do the talking. I just took notes.

Quilting Detail

The quilting is simple too - following the seams with my walking foot using the squiggly lines. The Binding is Gray Dots. Dawn to Dusk finished at 60" by 80". 

On the banks of Potomac

A very windy Sunday made the photoshoot a challenge. Having a good and experienced holder (of quilts and me) makes all the difference.

Barren Trees & Dry Earth - How long must we endure?

 

A moment of respite

If I cannot take pictures over the weekend or need more pictures after the weekend, it is a challenge due to the limited daylight hours. So I took the quilt to work and took the following pictures from the top floor (penthouse). 

Going with the Flow

If Winter is here, can Spring be far behind?

If you like this pattern and would like to win a copy of my Window Dressing Quilt pattern (or any other pattern from my Etsy Shop), please leave a comment on this blogpost, including your email address. I will pick the winner on Jan 21, 2026.

Giveaway Update - The two winners are #7 and #40. Emails have been sent.

Here is a list of the participating Blog Hoppers and make sure you visit Jennifer’s blog to have an opportunity to win a Fat Quarter Pack of this beautiful fabric!

• January 12th – Jennifer @ Inquiring Quilter (ENTER TO WIN A FAT QUARTER PACK!)
• January 13th – Kathleen @ Kathleen McMusing
• January 14th – Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts (You are here!)
• January 15th – Emily @ The Darling Dogwood
• January 16th – Laura @ Slice of Pi
• January 17th – Lisa @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
• January 18th – Gail @ Quilting Gail
• January 19th – Sandra @ Textile Time Travels
• January 20th – Leah @ Quilted Delights
• January 21st – Jennifer @ Inquiring Quilter (WINNER ANNOUNCED!)

Veronica - Layer Cake Friendly Quilt Pattern

Sometimes, as I am playing in EQ8, shapes will magically align and something extraordinary happens. Such as this pattern - Veronica.

Made with Poetic Bouquet Fabric collection, Veronica finishes at 60" by 84".

 

Cleverly pieced, it comes together in the most elegant way. All you need is a Layer Cake of your choice plus 4 yards of background fabric. No special rulers or fancy dies.

The detailed directions include colored pictures for every step. The clever piecing means you don't have to fiddle with little pieces. Quick for experienced quilters and easy for beginners, Veronica is a win-win.

The pattern is easily adapted to your choice of fabrics. Here is an EQ8 mockup showing Veronica as a Quilt of Valor and also as a two-color quilt.

Veronica was first published in Quilteblad, the Norwegian Quilt Magazine.

The pattern was painstakingly translated from English to Norwegian and the units from yards/inches to metres/centimetres. The editors at Quilteblad are awesome! 

No, I can't read/understand Norwegian. I just read my name, see my pictures and smile till my face hurts :-D  

Veronica is now available as a standalone pattern in my Etsy Shop. On sale for one week only, you can get Veronica for just $9.

But of course, there is a giveaway. Leave me a comment on this post, telling me your favorite book this year, and I will enter you in a contest to win a free PDF copy of the Veronica (or any other pattern from my Etsy shop).  I will announce the two winners when I publish "2025 in Retrospective". 

Giveaway Update - The two winners are #14 (Heather Hamby, please send me an email) and #27 (Bonnie, check your email.)

I will be sharing with Quilting Jetgirl's Favorite Finish and all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. 

In other news, the T-shirt beast quilt is completed. That will be the first post in 2026. Look at me, planning ahead :-D

Basting the Beast

Trillium Trail

Hope you are having a glorious Sunday.  I have a bit of news. This is the current issue of American Quilter.

Look what I found inside!

My picture is from our Hawaii visit

Picture Courtesy - American Quilter

My quilt, Trillium Trail, is published in the January 2026 issue of American Quilter. 

Backing is Island Batik Multi - Marbles

Designed in EQ8, and made with the Island Batik collection Enchanted Flutter, Trillium Trail finished at 60" by 80".  

Enchanted Flutter

Orange Peel Units are appliquéd in threes forming the shape of the Trillium flower, alternating with Irish Chain blocks. A scrappy border completes the look.

Paul, the model

Grassy ground, shimmering lake and cloudy skies provide the perfect backdrop for the Trillium Trail. I took this picture at Lake Arrowhead Recreation Park, when we were visiting Luray Caverns this summer.

A book, a cuppa and a quilt = Perfection

I used Schmetz Microtex 80/12 Needle for both sewing and quilting. I secured the raw edge applique with stitches 1/8" from the edges, before piecing the blocks. The quilting is a 2" grid using my walking foot. I used Hobbs 80/20 Cotton/Poly Blend Batting.

Snuggleworthy Morning

A few more pictures!

Mayneview Bed & Breakfast, Luray

Quilting Detail

Scrappy Border Detail

Trillium Trail is also my submission for Island Batik's last challenge of 2025 - Ambassador's Choice.

Thanks to  Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) and Industry partners who generously provided the supplies to all Island Batik Ambassadors -  Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, and Oliso Iron.

In other news, I set up my colorful table at Gifts from the HeART holiday shopping market in Reston's Lake Anne Community Center. There were many people interested in my work but only a few buyers. It is a good thing that sewing/quilting is my hobby :-) 

Gifts from the HeART, Reston

I am currently working on a t-shirt quilt for a friend who is a fan of Rock and Roll bands. Hope to complete it before the end of the year. Will share more pictures in January.

Work in Progress

In February 2025, I started a new job. The commute is long (1.5 hours each way) and working from home is not an option. I leave home at 6:30 and return at 6:30. 12-hour days mean that I have no time in the AM and no energy in the PM and weekends are slammed with everything else - grocery, laundry, chores and more. 

I recently said to Paul that if I am invited to a social event, I thank the host. If I am NOT, I thank God!

For this reason, I chose to not apply for the 2026 Island Batik Ambassador Program. I will miss the community of my fellow ambassadors and the creative push that came with each challenge. But I will still be making quilts, writing blogposts, publishing patterns and sharing with all my favorite linky parties. I hope you will stay in touch!