designing Tapestry Garden
a block-of-the-month for 2026
If you’ve been following along, dear reader, you know that I’m planning something special for us to share in 2026. As usual, I’ve shared sneak peaks along the way - this year, even more than normal. That’s because I’m finding this quilt surprisingly simple to sew and, in fact, it will be complete before the year’s end!
But while it is a lot of fun to sew the quilt in these distinct patchwork groups, focusing on one happy motif after another, that’s not really enough. The collective shape of things must, in the end, be compelling. Here is the story of my Tapestry Garden.
Inspiration
One July morning I sat down to sketch as an escape from a particularly emotional encounter with my now ex. Our relationship was unraveling, stakes were high and I needed to breathe, to find my center again. Feeling discouraged and lost, I flipped to this sketch from 2024.
What a fun layout… My No Entry design has an intriguing variety of block sizes. I like the way that the X shape is replayed in so many forms, even twisting to become a plus-shaped flower here and there.
On a whim, I decided to replicate the basic block layout of this design, also keeping a few of my favorite blocks to jump-start a new, modern sampler.
Paper is where it begins. I can spend days developing such a design in my graph paper quilt journal. Some parts come easily and others are erased and re-drawn over and over and yet over again.
But this time the whole design came out, almost in its final form, in a couple of hours. Such was the intensity of my focus and feeling. When I finished I felt totally refreshed. I smiled even, knowing this was our sampler for next year!
Fine Tuning
Like every quilter, I love to start a new project, but I don’t necessarily need to make a whole quilt to satisfy my appetite for a shape. My samplers are designed to allow you to scratch that itch for the new and novel, by bringing together diverse patchwork elements in a fun, unexpected way.
The design was perfectly delightful. I knew that this was one we would all enjoy sewing. But what was the common theme? Where was the story? How would we begin with choosing fabrics?
That’s when I had the idea to focus on color value! I took the design to EQ8, to develop it digitally and experiment in grayscale. At first I thought to code the quilt with three levels of value: light, medium and dark. But soon I realized that I wanted to put a 4th element in the quilt too: light-colored solids. The solids are represented in the above mockup by the color cream. This 4th dimension adds much-needed visual rest, consistency and definition.
And then I started sewing. Working on the basis of color value is SO much fun. It allows for so many colors and happy scraps. But, aye yi yi… it can quickly get busy. When I sewed Thorn I found that the simpler version (left) with some fabric repletion was better than the totally scrappy version (right). I know that these decisions can be hard for quilters to make, so my pattern and cutting directions will indicate when fabric repetition is advisable. =)
Tapestry Garden BOM
A BLOCK OF THE MONTH CLUB FOR 2026
Would you enjoy a fresh quilty challenge? Sew-along with us as we bring this modern sampler quilt to life, sewing group by group of beautifully interwoven patchwork in 2026.
Coneflowers, Trellis, Waterlily, Stone Path, Patio and more - each patchwork group is its own particular delight. Together they make up an ode to patchwork pleasure that’s as delightful to behold as it is to sew.
Unlike other sampler quilts, you won’t always make just one block in each style. Instead, Tapestry Garden often invites you to dig into a shape and repeat it for a while, before moving onto something new. It’s a stimulating combination of novelty and repetition!
Skill level: Suitable for confident beginner to intermediate quilters. During the course of the year, you will learn techniques for turn-and-sew applique, beginner’s foundation paper piecing and simple curves. No prior experience with these techniques is assumed. Advanced quilters will also enjoy the journey, I’m sure!
Size: 74” x 84” throw quilt
Schedule: Monthly digital BOM deliveries run January through December 2026
Cost: €88 for the annual subscription or €10.50 a month for monthly installments
This is going to be beautiful. That 4-petal flower at lower left is an intriguing focal point.
It looks beautiful.