Show & Tell

It makes us very happy when you use our patterns to make a quilt. We love to see how you each use fabric because no quilt is exactly like another - even when they are made from the same pattern.

The quilts on this page are ones I have cropped, doctored, and uploaded. This takes time that I just don't have any more. That said, I do still very much want to see the quilts you have made from Piece O' Cake pattern.

I set up a POC Show and Tell page on Flickr. Click here (or the button at left) and it should take you the POC Show & Tell page. You do have to join Flickr to upload images, but once on, I think you'll find it handy. I look forward to seeing your quilts! FYI - There is a Flickr app!

Judy DeGraff sent this photo and says: "I have been quilting since 1986 and am an avid scrap quilter. I must have started this quilt soon after it came out in the 2007 Calendar. As you can see, I enlarged it, used an original on-point setting and added my own applique designs. This just won a 2nd place and a $50 "Best use of Color" award from a shop in Eureka, CA. at our County Fair in Ferndale, CA. I have just decided to enter in into Pacific International in Santa Clara in October. A bus load of us are going down to the show.

There are a total of 2,362 pieces in the quilt, including 300 applique pieces, setting squares, borders and the pieced backing. The paper piecing consists of 1,962 pieces for all the blocks. I like to make my quilts big. This is one of my favorites and everyone else loves it too! It is hand appliqued and my friend Susie Freese in Eureka did a wonderful job with her longarm quilting it.

Thank you for the great patterns and books. I have MANY MANY MANY and hope to get to more of them someday."

Congratulations to Judy! FYI - the pattern is Everyday Best.

Jean Impey took a Chirps! class from me, working on a 10" x 10" bird block. She built this amazing quilt around that block. I love it!

Jean teaches a variety of quilt classes herself at The Sewing Party Quilt Shop in Laguna Hills, CA.

Debbi Black made this lovely version of Aunt Millie's Garden. Debbie's fabric choices and her machine applique are both wonderful.

Debbie says "I surely wish I could get an overall close up of the quilting. Debbie Williams from Stinnett, Texas stitched her artistry on it. Iwanted it to be larger, so a little brown frame around the blocks and a zinger green around the body did just the trick." Congratulations, Debbie, on a great quilt!

Jackie Aguilar from Grand Junction, who is also a friend of Linda's, won Best of Show at the Mesa County Fair with her quilt 'Jackie Got Into Aunt Millie's Garden'. Linda tells me that the photo doesn't do it justic.

I espcially like the color change under the vine in the border. What a great idea!

Sharon Bouchonville, who has taught My Whimsical Quilt Garden to several quilters, sent us her version of the quilt. Sharon says:

"I just wanted to let you know I really love your patterns. I work at a quilt shop: A Touch of Thread Quilting Gallery in Zanesville, Ohio. I have a class of nine quilters creating the "My Whimsical Garden" quilt in a Block-of-the-Month format. We are really enjoying it. When the class is over, we'll send you some pictures."

I can't wait to see them!

Sue Ann also sent me a photo of her Whimsical quilt. She wrote:

"Thought you might enjoy seeing my interpretation of your Whimsical Garden pattern. I love the way it turned out! It certainly brightens the bedroom and creates a cheerful atmosphere from early in the morning to late at night. Thank you, again, for this delightful pattern!"

This quilt is so pretty on the bed and it goes perfectly with the picket-fence headboard. So cute!

Mary Kloth sent this photo of her very first quilt and this note:

"Easter Sunday 2011 I emailed you a color question about an e-pattern I was attempting, thinking my chances of a response after the holiday were slim to none. To my surprise, you emailed me back in a matter of minutes! I thought wow, even successful, well-known quilters are great people. I want to be a part of the quilt community!

This is the result--my first quilt. I am now addicted. But when I began work on this, I didn't even know what I didn't know. That was surely a good thing as it turned out, however. Had I known what I was getting into... I didn't realize this was a "scappy" quilt and I had no fabric. I didn't realize I was going to have to learn a lot about color before I could even start. And I had never pieced nor appliqued. But thanks to the beauty of your design and your encouragement, the advice of my small group of quilting friends, the videos on The Quilt Show, and a color book by Joen Wolfrom, I learned and this piece came to "fruition." It will always be dear to me because it has bits of fabric from each of my friends in our 7-member quilting group, and was even quilted by one of them, Andrea Carlin. She did a marvelous job! I never imagined it could look so good.

I completed all twelve of the blocks but then decided to hang the quilt in my dining room where I had room for only 9. The other 3 will become pillows. I made a few small changes to the cantaloupe design so that I could include all of the fabrics I wanted to use. Yes, that is what a fabric lover does--you gotta know I have the bug!

I love so many of your designs and look forward to meeting you some time in the future. Your Piece 'O Cake website is awesome! Thank you for your help and inspiration."

Thank you, Mary, for sending such a wonderful email and congratulations on your quilt. It is truly lovely. I'm so happy that you are a part of the quilt world!

Jan Hirth, who has had several quilts on this page and who has taught our patterns to many quilters was in my class at the Beach Cities Quilters Guild. It was so nice to finally meet her!

Jan sent this picture and said: "I finished the Texas Tulip quilt I started in your class last month at Beach Cities Quilters Guild. It was my “foot warmer” project as we drove up to our son’s home in Northern California a few days after the class. Since it’s 9 hours each way I had lots of hand appliqueing time."

I love it!

Ginny Andersen made this great star quilt. She says:

"First off, I love your designs and aspire to do great appliqué. All of the designs and colors are inspiring. I am gaining skills with the help of your techniques. I bought the Flowering Favorites from POC book, a while back, for one of the patterns.

Several years ago I inherited a barrel of fabric strings (a large barrel!) which started me on a journey to learn the history and patterns for string quilts. When I saw the pattern Flowering Vines I knew I had found a string quilt “possible” and bought the pattern book. This originally sought pattern is still a WIP(the appliqué takes me longer to do) but after perusing the book, I also made and finished my string adaptation of Love Apple Star. I made it as a gift for my sister, Diane, who uses it to curl up with on her couch.

I hope you like it. I love quilting and the unlimited ways I can express my vision. Thank you again for your wonderful creativeness!"

I DO love it! It's a happy quilt. Sadly this book is out of print but I'm trying to find time to upload the patterns from it.

Isn't this a pretty quilt! Monica Dasenbrock sent this photo and said: "Love how this quilt turned out. This definitely took me out of my comfort zone on colors. We made this quilt in our applique quilt group and it was great to see the finished product in different fabrics."

It's always an interesting experience to try out a different color scheme. And I, too, love seeing how a group of quilters, all using the same pattern, can come up with so many different color combinations!

Heather Bingham, who lives in Australia, sent this photo of her lovely Aunt Millie's quilt.

She wrote: "Thank you for your lovely design, I have finally finished Aunt Millie's Garden. It took me some time to hand quite it but I am delighted with the finished piece."

I love these designs on black!

Feliz Matsuda sent a photo of her very festive quilt and said: "I thought you might like to see my version of the Christmas Trees Quilt. It turned out fairly big but it was/is a beauty. I gave it to my sister who has more wall space and displays it at Christmas time.

I have started a second copy that I have completed all the appliqué squares and just need to do the borders. I used some shiny fabrics to do the lights which turned out perfectly.

Thank you for the patterns. I love appliqué."

Her sister is very lucky, don't you think?!

Angie Weldon started this cute wall quilt in my My Whimsical Quilt Garden class in Valdosta, GA. Don't you love the way she used rick rack for some of the stems?!

The colors work really well together. Very nicely done!

Peggy Wormington sent this photo of Aunt Millie's Garden, that she calls Nana's Garden.

Peggy says "I really enjoyed working on this pattern and have had so many nice comments on it. This photo was taken by the long arm quilter - Pam Dransfeldt of Camarillo, CA. Her work is a perfect complement to your lovely design."

I really like the setting and border. Very nice!

Julie sent this photo and wrote to say:

"It only took me 15 years but I just finished the Simply Delicious quilt! I am so thrilled with it - did rearrange to fit my wall. Thanks for a beautiful design!"

It's lovely quilt - thank you for sharing it!

Kaye White sent this lovely photo and says: "I made this quilt from your book APPLIQUE OUTSIDE THE LINES. I made it for one of my granddaughters for her High School graduation. I love working on all your patterns and have cabinet with all my Piece O Cake fabrics sorted by color.

I changed the wording on this quilt to Love God and Be Happy as personal message with Prov. 3:5-6 on back for life verse. Working on Whimsical Garden now with chocolate background with 16 blocks. Almost finished and wondering what wonderful applique to work on next."

This is a great quilt, Kaye! It's good to know you are having fun with our patterns!

Lisa Velasquez wrote to say: "Just let me tell you how grateful I am to both of you. I’d been strip quilting for a couple of years and decided to try my hand at hand appliqué quilting. WELL, fell in love with “My Whimsical Garden” and guess what! I took second prize at the NC state fair for my division.

I plan on using another one of your patterns for next years' competition. Just had a ball doing it and your easy methods were so helpful. Here is a picture from when the quilt wasn’t quite finished but almost."

Congratulations, Lisa, on the ribbon. Keep up the good work!

Maureen Youell sent this from South Africa:

"I thought you may enjoy another version of Aunt Millie’s Flower Garden.
She won Viewers Choice at our Spring Festival held recently."

Isn't this a great set!? The border pulls it all together. Thank you, Maureen, for sharing your work!

Cassi Bauman wrote to say: "Applique used to be a four-letter word until I spent a weekend guild retreat stationed next to two fabulous appliquers - Nancy Jackson and Sue Kennedy. They inspired me, and then friends issued the challenge to take the plunge by giving me Aunt Millie's Garden as a birthday gift.

I finished the top in one year and by the end of it, I decided that I LOVE appliqué! My amateur efforts were greatly enhanced by the expert long-arm quilting by Janine Keeton (left). We entered it in the Bluegrass Quilt Festival and won Judge's Choice! The choice of background is out of character for me but I loved working with it. Thanks for designing such a great pattern to work with for my first appliqué quilt called Ode to Nancy Sue."

I love the choice of background - your applique shines on it. Congrats on a great quilt!

Ineke Waijers from the Netherlands sent us this is a picture of her Aunt Millie's Garden quilt. Isn't it lovely! She says: "I used only Kaffe Fassett fabrics as they are my favourites. I used the machine blanket stitch for applique, but the quilt is handquilted. I loved working on this quilt and learned a lot about colors and appliqueing. Please keep designing other beautiful quilters so more people can enjoy your patterns."

She sent a detail photo as well and the mix of the machine applique stitches with the hand quilting is very nice. We so often see the reverse (hand applique and machine quilting) - this is an interesting and beautiful approach.

Bethanne Nemesh sent us this photo and story: "I am the raffle chairperson for the Allentown Crazy Quilter’s Quilt Guild in Allentown, Pa. I wanted to share with you the just finished quilt I am calling Star of Millies’s Garden, an adaptation of your lovely Millie’s Garden quilt. I used one border and 4 full blocks then adapted 4 additional blocks to swag and added the large plate cornerstones from another of your quilts. I also designed the piecing and setting. Fourteen members of the guild worked together to make it and I quilted it freehand. We are anticipating selling 6,000 tickets or more. Thank you for continuing to be such an inspiration. Our last Piece o’ Cake raffle quilt (Stars in the Garden) was an award winner as well!"

The quilt is lovely and the photos of the machine quilting are wonderful. If you are interested in seeing more of Bethanne's quilting, click here.

Darlene Bakos and Bridget Wilson Matlock made this quilt which was quilted by Kate Meyers. Besides being a Long Arm quilter, Kate and her husband are the SE Regional Coordinators for Quilts of Valor.

All three live in TN. They named their quilt Daniels Color II. Block 12, the center medallion from our Land of the Free ePatterns, is the center of their quilt. Their borders show the block off nicely and the machine quilting is spectacular.

Watch, you may see this quilt hanging in shows soon.