Retreat Preparations and Pattern of the Week

 Hello Everyone,

On these hot summer days, I'm thinking snow as in my Row-Mancing Alaska pattern which is my pattern of the week in my Etsy shop on sale HERE.

I made this quilt when I was asked to teach it on a cruise to Alaska.  It was so much fun!

This was my first row by row quilt that I designed and my first using batiks. I wanted this to be a reflection of Alaska from the heavens to the earth.

This row-by-row quilt captures the spirit of the wild with blocks inspired by iconic Alaskan imagery:

- Aurora

- Midnight Sun

- Flying Geese

- EEagle’s Nest

- Black Spruce

- Glacier Bay

- Bear Paw walking atop Gold Rush

From celestial skies to rugged terrain, each stitch brings Alaska’s breathtaking beauty to life. The finished quilt measures 52" x 71", making it a stunning tribute to nature’s grandeur.

I’ve been deep in retreat prep mode for my August gathering, which kicks off Sunday, August 24th. Bit by bit, I’m working through my to-do list—finishing bindings, printing and stuffing patterns, cutting bundles, and pricing. At this point, my garage could easily be mistaken for a very enthusiastic (and slightly chaotic) quilt shop!

Some of my quilters start rolling into town on Saturday, so the countdown is officially on. And just to keep things interesting—I still need to tackle a full cabin de-cobwebbing before the tour. Sadly, it’s not close enough to Halloween to pass them off as festive décor!

Soon,

Lynn

Bridle Path Pattern of the Week

 Hello Everyone,

My pattern of the week is Bridle Path and is on sale in my Etsy shop HERE.

This quilt hangs proudly in our cabin bedroom; a space I lovingly call the Hearthstone Room. Every quilt you see here was made with fabric from my Hearthstone line from Marcus Fabrics—a collection that holds a special place in my heart as it was my first fabric line.  Laurel Ridge, the 2025 BOM for The Quilt Show is hanging on the wall on the left.  Double Dutch Treat is next to it. Emilie Elizabeth gifted to me by my dear friend Deborah is over the headboard. Spring Frolic is on the bench at the end of the bed. 

I change the quilts out with the seasons, and this grouping will be in the bedroom throughout the summer months.

The following are snapshots of the blocks in the quilt. Each of the blocks finish at 10" x 10".  The entire quilt measure 98" x 98".  If you want to make the quilt larger, all you need to do is cut the borders wider.

This block is the most complex, but the pattern includes a block layout sheet which is the map to your success.

Heading out to the Bear Valley Music Festival this afternoon—Broadway tunes and showstoppers await! Mr. Joe’s not much for musicals, so he’ll be holding down the fort with Mazey while I’m away. All the girls are coming back to the cabin for dinner tonight, which means my morning’s packed with prep work before I head out. Mr. Joe’s got his own timetable: top priority is firing up the barbecue and getting the roast on the rotisserie. Fingers crossed I’ll have everything else squared away before I leave!

Is it wrong to say I invite company just so I’m forced to clean the cabin? Let’s call it strategic hospitality.

Soon,

Lynn

Cozy Country Christmas

 Hello Everyone,

It’s been a full and fulfilling week beneath the oaks and pines at Sew’n Wild Oaks. I put the finishing stitches on my new Cozy Country Christmas quilt—machine quilting complete and ready to shine through the Christmas season.

I love to machine quilt, but I do not love loading the quilt on the machine.  It takes me a fair bit of time to get everything lined up properly before I get to the creative magic.

I'm a slow machine quilter and I spent quite a few hours listening to audible books while working on this one.  Usually, I listen to music while quilting so I can concentrate of the quilting.  This time I listened to books, and I was able to walk and chew gum at the same time.....amazing!

I'll get Cozy Country Christmas trimmed today and prepare the plaid binding on the bias.

I’ve been busy assembling kits for my upcoming retreats, and let me tell you—they’re just too darn cute to take apart! If any extras remain, I’ll post them for sale in my Etsy shop come November.

Next week, I’ll wrap up writing the pattern just in time for my Sew’n Wild Oaks retreat at the end of August. Once it’s ready, I’ll list it in my Etsy shop along with fabric requirements so you can stitch up your own Cozy Country Christmas quilt while the fabric is still available in stores.

I've been volunteering at Independence Hall in preparation for the giant Flea Market kicking off tomorrow—and if you're anywhere near Arnold, you won't want to miss it! It's hands-down the most well-organized Flea Market I've ever seen.

While I plan to steer clear of the shopping frenzy, I’ll be there tomorrow late afternoon helping tidy up and get everything ready for Sunday’s big draw: half-price day. Next week, local organizations are invited to come and take what they need, followed by an open invitation to the community to do the same. I truly admire the organizers for their commitment to excellence—every detail has been thoughtfully planned. Best of all, every dollar raised will go toward a new roof for Independence Hall.

Don't forget my Patchwork Math book is on sale until Sunday in my Etsy shop HERE. 

I have a fun weekend ahead. My sister, cousin, and a friend are arriving in town tomorrow, and on Sunday, there are five of us girls heading to the final show at the Bear Valley Music Festival. The title of the show is Climb Every Mountain, which is fitting since we will be driving up to higher elevations (7,000') to get to the show and listen to show tunes. Mr. Joe is bowing out of this one and will let us girls enjoy the event. After the concert, we’ll gather back at the cabin for a cozy dinner and some good old-fashioned catching up.  Laughter is guaranteed—and there just might be a margarita (or two) in the mix!

Soon,

Lynn

Patchwork Math

 Hello Everyone,

📘 This week, I’m switching things up! Rather than featuring a pattern, I’m spotlighting the BOOK of the week—Patchwork Math—available now at 15% off the regular price in my Etsy shop HERE. It’s the perfect time to add this essential resource to your quilting library and elevate your design skills.

📚 This book unveils the math that powers your favorite quilting elements—from blocks to borders to sashings. With its clear guidance, you’ll discover how to resize each component to suit your creative vision, giving you the freedom to design quilts that are truly your own.

Curious about what makes up a quilt block? Here's a clear look at its key components—and the exciting part is, you don’t need a pattern to bring them to life. With the Patchwork Math book as your guide, you'll master the formulas behind each piece and learn how to design blocks. sashings or borders in any size, straight from your imagination.

I’ve crisscrossed the country teaching Patchwork Math—from North Dakota to Illinois, and all across California. I’ve presented at Quilt Market’s Schoolhouse session in Houston, and my tutorials are also featured on The Quilt Show, making this class accessible wherever your quilting journey begins. The free tutorials are located HERE.

You can download and print the 42-page handout for my class HERE.  Tuck this inside the back of the book and you are ready to start creating!

🧵 Ready to take your quilting to the next level? With just a pencil, calculator, and a bundle of gorgeous fabric, you’re equipped to dive into the world of Patchwork Math—where creativity meets precision and your quilting confidence grows with every block.

Soon,

Lynn

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

 Hello Everyone,

Using the magic of EQ software, I updated my Country Charmer pattern which I wrote in 2011.  This version uses Cozy Christmas fabric designed by Katie Solberg for Marcus Fabrics.

Here is a close up of the corner.

I love this fabric line so much because I'm crazy about the plaid.

This quilt pattern has been around for quite some time.  I was contacted by Robert Kaufman as they wanted to showcase one of their lines using my pattern.  Of course, I said "Yes", and their beautiful version was on the cover of Keepsake Quilting a decade ago. I literally sold thousands of patterns from their recreation of my pattern.

I've made Country Charmer three times, and I love them all, just as I love all three of my children equally. (Although that love is on a rotating basis depending on what mischief or good trouble they are up to at the time!)😘  Love you kids!

I also hosted a Country Charmer quilt-a-long in 2013 and have an extensive tutorial on my blog for this pattern located HERE. I used up so many scraps when I made this version.  I find I can put together many different colors if I separate them with black in the sashing. 

I've gone back and forth on whether to write this post, but it’s time to address something that’s been coming up and quite frankly has been bothering me. Several quilters have reached out, asking if a pattern they saw in an email from a well-known online quilt shop is my Country Charmer. The answer? Yes—and no.

The design they’re offering is strikingly similar. The block construction looks the same, but their squares are larger and the borders have been changed. By industry standards, a design typically needs to be at least 20% different from the original to be considered distinct. How that percentage is calculated is anyone’s guess, so I’ll leave it to you to decide where you think the line falls.

Now I'm trying to decide whether or not to purchase more bolts of Cozy Christmas fabrics and make kits for MY version and re-do the pattern with the new fabric line. I would be very interested to read your feedback. Time is the big issue as I'm entering the busiest time of the year with three more retreats and I'm vending at one quilt show.

You know the old phrase, 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'.  

Soon,

Lynn in a quandary

P.S. I'm offering my Country Charmer pattern at a discount as my pattern of the week in my Etsy shop HERE.    

 

It's Kit Time!

 Hello Everyone,

The cabin’s been bustling with activity as I ready myself for the last three retreats and one final quilt show of the season. Each week, the UPS truck rumbles up and unloads bolt after bolt of Marcus fabrics. The kits are just waiting to be stitched into something beautiful...my Cozy Country Christmas pattern.

I’ve been up to my elbows in fabric—cutting yards and yards to make Cozy Country Christmas kits. They turned out downright adorable, and I have a good feeling they’ll be a hit at the Independence Hall Quilt Show this October. With everyone starting to think about holiday projects, the timing feels just right. I went through nearly every bolt I had, and I’m seriously thinking about ordering more as once it's gone.....it's gone for good and I can't get enough of that plaid! The line was designed by Katie Solberg for Marcus Fabrics.

I finished making all of the tree blocks.

Just three more star blocks to go. The design wall is full, sashing in place, and I’ve begun stitching the rows together, though I’ll admit it’s my least favorite part of the quilting process. It feels more mechanical than creative. Still, there’s something deeply satisfying about stepping back and seeing it all come together.

When I have time, I've been writing the pattern and making my signature block layout sheets.  I call my block layout sheets the map to your success. 

When I’m not cutting kits or writing patterns, I’m deep into my Packhorse Librarian story and preparing the monthly directions for the Laurel Ridge quilt in two colorways for The Quilt Show. I’m just wrapping up Month #10 now—October’s installment—and it’s been quite the production! My granddaughter’s been handling the video edits beautifully. She sends them my way for review, and once I give the thumbs-up, they’re off to The Quilt Show. It’s a true team effort, and I’m so proud of how it’s all coming together.

I’m giving serious thought to combining the monthly chapters and pattern directions into a book which will be something fresh and new to release next year, once I regain the rights to the Laurel Ridge pattern. It would be a whole new adventure for me, stepping into the world of publishing and the idea feels exciting.

I was playing around with AI and it created this image. I imported the image of the quilt into AI, gave it some parameters of what I wanted it to include, and voila!  You have to image the saddlebags are full of books to be delivered into the Kentucky hollers. 

It's not too late to sign up for The Quilt Show and have access to my Packhorse Librarian story, monthly tutorial videos by Barbara Black and me, and pattern directions HERE.  I always look at the reviews in my Etsy shop and I received the following in June.

Jun 20, 2025

5 out of 5 stars    

In a time when there is so much emphasis on get-it-done-quick quilts, I’ve been especially happy to find Lynn Wilder’s exquisite traditional designs. These are quilts to nourish the soul! It has been a special joy to get acquainted with Lynn and experience her gifted teaching through the 2025 QuiltShow.com BOM. Her Laurel Ridge pattern and instructional videos are worth many times the very nominal membership cost, and the opportunity to join in is open through year end.

In a crowded marketplace, my Etsy shop truly lives and breathes by the kindness of customer reviews. Every bit of feedback shapes my shop’s standing, and even a single negative review can affect my rating for months. That’s why thoughtful words like this mean so much, they’re not only encouraging, but they also help keep my little corner of the quilting world thriving. This is one of the nicest reviews I’ve ever received, and I’m deeply grateful.

On a side note, I have to share this: I received a one-star review from a quilter who felt my Patchwork Math book had—wait for it—too much math. I mean, it’s literally a math book! Sometimes you just have to shake your head and beat it against a hard surface.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! My sister’s coming up to the cabin, and we’re heading to the Bear Valley Music Festival to listen to the Queen tribute band. It promises to be a fun-filled time with good music, good company, and a little mountain magic. 

Soon,

Lynn 

COUNTRY COURTHOUSE - Pattern of the Week

 Hello Everyone,

If it's Sunday, it must be the unveiling of my Pattern of the Week!  This week the featured pattern is Country Courthouse. 

This is the perfect stash-busting quilt if you have a lot of scraps in your stash.

I cut hundreds, no thousands of 1" strips for this quilt.

Years ago, Mr. Joe was making and selling these handy dandy Strip'n Sews. I had been using a pasta dryer to display all of my 1" fabric strips.  He decided he could make something much more substantial, and he gave it 'stadium seating' so I could easily see all of my strips.  He wanted to name it Strip Seach which I immediately had to veto as president of the company!

Having an assortment of fabric strips at my fingertips, makes quick work of making all of the little 9 patches and Courthouse Steps blocks.

This quilt started out as the smaller Cute as a Button pattern.  A few years ago, we had so much snow that it made for rough travel whenever we left the cabin.  So, I just stayed inside and kept making block after block and ended up making a queen-sized Country Courthouse. 

I love this alternative colorway too.

Whenever I finish a quilt, I put it on display on my old sled a do a photoshoot.

I machine quilted around every single 'log' in the quilt.  Tedious but so worth the effort.

If you do your own machine quilting, then this one is for you.  Stitch in the ditch and stipple is in the entire body of the quilt.  I also added a feathered border.

The pattern is available and on sale in my Etsy shop HERE and it is offered at 15% off the regular price.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Soon,

Lynn