Quilting

Patterns, patchworks and projects

Quilty podcasts

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 The International Quilt Study Center and Museum offers many podcasts on my favorite subject – quilting. Here’s a current list. Go to their podcasts page and check it out.

  1. “Snail Trails, Broken Dishes and a Streak of Lightning” by Mary Anne Jordan
  2. “An Aesthetic Life: the Story of Quiltmaker Rose Kretsinger” Jonathan Gregory
  3. “Childhood Treasures: Quilts Made for and by Children” Mary Ghormley
  4. “Chintz: Indian Textiles for the West” Rosemary Crill
  5. “Colonial Revival Influence on Quilt Design” Dr. Virginia Gunn
  6. “Contemporary Quiltmaking” Nancy Crow
  7. “From Fibers to Fieldwork” Nao Nomura
  8. “It’s Fashionable to be Pennsylvania Dutch Today: Disseminating Traditional Design in a Modern World.” Janneken Smucker
  9. “Like Gulliver’s Clothes: Early British Patchwork” Bridget Long
  10. “Meet the Makers: American Quilts in the Modern Age” Dr. Patricia Crews
  11. “Modern, Yet Anti-Modern: Two Sides of the Late-Nineteenth and Early-Twentieth Century Quiltmaking” Marin Hanson
  12. “Nebraska Quiltmakers”, Dr. Patricia Crews
  13. “Our Mothers’ Knees” Jean Ray Laury
  14. “Patchwork and Quilting in the UK” Dr. Sue Marks
  15. “Perfecting the Past: Colonial Revival Quilts” Melissa Slaton
  16. “Quilt Surface Design Symposium: Incubating the Innovative Quilt” Michael James
  17. “Quilts in Common” Jonathan Holstein
  18. “Quilts: Reflections of Trade, Technology & Tradition” Dr. Patricia Crews
  19. “Recycling and Resourcefulness: Quilts of the 1930s” Merikay Waldvogel
  20. “Reflections of a Traveling Quiltmaker/Teacher: What Have We Learned?” Paulette Peters
  21. “The American Quilt and the Grammar of Two-Dimensional Design” David Hornung
  22. “The Ingenious and the Spiritual: How and Why We Make Things” Stuart Kestenbaum
  23. “The Underground Railroad Quilt Controversy: Looking for the ‘Truth'” Laurel Horton

These podcasts are for personal use or educational purposes only.

[tags]quilt history, videos, teachers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln[/tags]

Have you read?

In the Garden Layer Cake – A Bloom-Filled Fabric Collection for Spring Sewing

Some fabric collections feel pretty, some feel useful, and then there are those rare ones that instantly spark a dozen ideas the moment you see them. The In the Garden Layer Cake from Fat Quarter Shop falls firmly into that last category. From the moment I opened the pack, it felt like stepping into a watercolor garden—soft, romantic, full of movement, and brimming with detail that invites you to slow down and really look.

This collection brings together an elegant mix of florals, garden motifs, and soothing color palettes that feel like they were created for spring quilting. Instead of loud novelty prints, the designer chose a gentle balance of botanical sketches, scattered blossoms, tiny seed patterns, and larger feature florals that work beautifully in both traditional and modern layouts.

What struck me most is how thoughtfully the color stories are arranged. Each print blends seamlessly into the next, giving you a spectrum that includes soft rose pinks, leafy greens, lavender tones, fresh sky blues, rich corals, and delicate neutrals. It’s the kind of palette that instantly feels “quilty” in the best way—inviting, calm, and incredibly easy to mix and match. You can tell the designer planned this for maximum versatility.

Layer cakes are one of the most beginner-friendly precuts, but this collection elevates them with a sense of sophistication. The prints are strong enough to shine in simple patterns, but subtle enough to support more complex designs. Whether you prefer classic half-square triangles, framed squares, modern grid quilts, or something scrappier, this fabric adapts beautifully. It’s also a wonderful choice for table runners, spring wall hangings, and even quilted bags or home décor projects.

One of the nicest surprises with this layer cake is how it manages to feel seasonal without becoming locked into one particular holiday or theme. While the palette is undeniably perfect for spring, the prints themselves are timeless enough to work year-round. A floral quilt made from this collection would look just as lovely on a summer sunroom sofa as it would draped over a guest bed in winter.

The fabric quality is exactly what you’d expect from Fat Quarter Shop—crisp, clean cuts, vibrant printing, and a smooth hand that makes piecing feel effortless. Nothing is too thin or too stiff, and the colors are even more beautiful in person than they appear online.

If you enjoy sewing projects that feel light, fresh, and inspired by nature, In the Garden is a collection worth adding to your stash. It has all the qualities quilters look for: balance, versatility, gentle movement, and that spark of creativity that makes you want to start a project immediately. Whether you’re planning a gift quilt, treating yourself to a new spring project, or simply building your fabric library with a set of prints that will play nicely with others, this layer cake is a thoughtful and inspiring choice.