Quilting challenges from the Road to California

These letters originally arrived in stamped envelopes with glossy, printed photos (remember those days!). To protect our writers' privacy, we've typed up their notes with minor details changed. We also scanned and brightened the original photos so you can see the quilts in their best light.

Joanne from California shares how she cleverly adapted the Housez, Starz, Leavez, Butterfliez patterns and more, to tackle two different quilting group challenges.

Dear Jan,

I took your class at Road to California and enjoyed it very much. I love the patterns and decided to use them in two challenges I had this year.

The first was with my small group. The challenge was 50 plaids, all of which had to appear on the front of the quilt in recognizable pieces. I could add any plaid, stripe, or solid, and the quilt also had to have at least one house block and at least one nine-patch. I decided to do the version of the one you showed us in class.

The block is a year long challenge from my friendship group in California. The colors are red and green with only 2 other colors added. Each month a member chooses one of 5 subjects (botanical, animal, aquatic, insects birds). May was my choice and I wanted to do your Ladybirdz so I chose insects.

Though you might enjoy pictures of your patterns in use. Thanks for a great class and wonderful patterns.

A photo of a home-made quilt in many colours. A sky, stars, fences, houses, leaves and butterflies. A photo of a partially finished Ladybirds quilt block. Red and black

Joanne from California certainly put many of Jan's patterns to good use, combining different block designs to create her own quilt, as well as a challenge block inspired by Jan's Ladybirdz pattern.

Patterns used: Butterfliez, Slender Starz, Housez (with fences), Treez, Leavez and Ladybirdz.