PNW Quilt Adventure of The Year!

🌲🧵 THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST QUILT ADVENTURE OF THE YEAR 🧵🌲

Oregon • Washington • Idaho — it’s time for the All Pacific Northwest Shop Hop 2026, and this year it’s BIGGER than ever! 🚗✨

For two months, quilters will be traveling across the PNW visiting 126 incredible quilt shops, collecting exclusive patterns, prizes, and inspiration at every stop. 🎁

But here’s the real magic…

This isn’t just a shop hop — it’s a COMMUNITY experience. ❤️
Road trips with quilty friends.
Discovering hidden gem shops.
Finding fabrics you didn’t even know you needed.
Making memories that last long after the hop ends.

I’ll be sharing my journey, favorite finds, tips for planning your route, and behind-the-scenes inspiration all along the way — so make sure you’re following so you don’t miss a single stop. 🗺️✨

👇 TELL ME 👇
Which state are you hopping from — Oregon, Washington, or Idaho?

Be sure to get by your local quilt shop to pick up a copy of the All Pacific Northwest Shop Hop Magazine for 2026, just like I did! Here in Idaho Falls, you can get your copy at Day Dreams Quilt N. Sew located at 802 Pancheri Drive. Don't delay, they are going fast. The magazine contains your passport to all the shops, maps for you to plan with, 5 FREE quilt patterns and a complete list of all the prizes that could be yours. You are not going to want to miss it one! 

If you’re new here, I’m Karen — pattern designer, quilt maker, and your guide to building a creative quilting life. Welcome to the adventure. 💚

#PNWShopHop #QuiltCommunity #QuiltAdventure #QuiltersOfInstagram #ShopHop2026 #OregonQuilters #WashingtonQuilters #IdahoQuilters #SisterOfTheDivide

Precision, Patience, and Paper Piecing — A Winning Block Story

After more than five decades of quilting, I still feel a quiet thrill walking into a quilt show. This year, I was deeply honored to receive First Place in the Block Contest, at the North Bingham County District Library Annual Quilt Show — the fourth time I’ve been awarded this recognition there.

The block I entered is from a pattern by renowned paper-piecing designer Carol Doak, whose work has influenced generations of quilters. While the structure of the design is hers, the fabric selection and placement allowed me to bring my own voice to the piece — a conversation between designer and maker that I’ve always loved about quilting.

The block contest starts out with a focus fabric that you pick up at the library for a small donation of $1.00. You must then use that fabric in any way you choose to create a block that measures 12.5" square.

For this block, I chose fabrics that balanced bold contrast with a vintage sensibility, carefully considering how color movement would guide the eye around the star. Precision piecing was essential; every point meeting cleanly was part of honoring the integrity of the design. The light blue floral fabric was the focus fabric for this block. In thinking about the fabric pull I opted to focus on a patriotic theme since this is the 250th Anniversary year for our country. I made a template for each of the paper piecing sections and cut and labeled my fabrics for easy in assembly.

Quilting has been part of my life for over 50 years. It has seen me through seasons of change, growth, and creativity, and it continues to challenge and inspire me. Awards are lovely, but the true reward has always been the process — the quiet rhythm of stitching and the satisfaction of bringing something beautiful into the world.

One of the things I treasure most about the North Bingham County District Library Quilt Block Contest is that it’s a blind competition.

Visitors to the show vote for the block they love most — without knowing who made any of them. Names are only revealed at the very end.

So this First Place Honor means something especially meaningful to me. 🏆
It was chosen purely on the work itself.

Here are some photos of the Pieced Blocks portion of the Block Contest, So many talented contributions! All of the blocks are then raffled off and given to the winner of that raffle!

If you’re interested in more of my work, original designs, patterns, and curated vintage fabrics, you can find them here at Sister of The Divide as well as on our Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.

St. Paddy's Field Quilt Along - Step 1 The HST Units

✂️ Half Square Triangle Unit for St. Paddy's Field Quilt Along 

4.5" Finished

Method: 2-at-a-Time HST   PDF Instructions

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🔢 Quilt Requirement

You will need:

64 finished Half Square Triangle (HST) blocks

Each pair of 5" squares yields 2 HST units.

64 ÷ 2 = 32 pairs needed

✂️ Cutting Instructions

• Cut 32 green 5" × 5" squares
• Cut 32 background 5" × 5" squares

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✨ Additional Supplies

• Sewing machine & coordinating thread
• Fabric marking pencil or pen
• Quilting ruler with 45° diagonal line
• Rotary cutter & cutting mat
• Iron & pressing surface

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🧵 Instructions

1. Mark

On the wrong side of each background square, draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner.

2. Layer

Place one green square and one background square right sides together. Align edges and pin if desired.

3. Sew

Sew a scant ¼" seam on each side of the drawn diagonal line.
(A scant ¼" seam is slightly less than a full ¼" to account for fabric and pressing.)

4. Cut

Cut directly on the drawn diagonal line to create two triangle units.

5. Press

Open each unit and press the seam toward the green fabric.

6. Square Up

Using the 45° diagonal line on your ruler, square up each HST unit to measure 4.5" × 4.5".

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C 2026 Sister of The Divide. All rights reserved. This pattern and its instructions are protected by copyright law. No part of this pattern may be reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the designer. You may sell items made from this pattern on a home-based, small-scale basis and may use for charity purposes. Mass production is prohibited. Please credit the design to Sister of The Divide.

St. Paddy's Field - Cutting Instructions

St. Paddy’s Field Quilt Along

Cutting Instructions

Quilt Block size 8.5” will finish in the quilt at 8”

Quilt Finish Size 64.5” x 64.5”

PDF LinkYardage requirements:

Main color: 2.78 yards (buy 3 yards)

Secondary color: 3/8 yard

Background color: 3 ¾ yards

Binding: ½ yard

You will need:

 a rotary cutting mat

 a rotary cutter

 a quilting ruler

For ease of instruction we will assume the following, you can substitute with any color you wish or use scraps

Main Color – Dark Green

Secondary color – Light Green

Background – White or Neutral

WOF = width of fabric = minimum 40”

If you are making your quilt using yardage you will cut as follows:

From your Main color cut:

4 strips measuring 5” x WOF

     Sub cut into 32 - 5” squares

32 strips measuring 2.5” x WOF

From your Secondary color cut:

4 Strips measuring 2.5” x WOF

From your Background color cut:

4 Strips measuring 5” x WOF

     Sub Cut into 32 – 5” squares

44 strips measuring 2.5” x WOF

Binding cut:

7 Strips 2.5” by WOF

 

If you are cutting scrappy, you will want to have enough fabric to equal the above measures.

 C 2026 Sister of The Divide. All rights reserved.

This pattern and its instructions are protected by copyright law. No part of this pattern may be reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the designer. You may sell items made from this pattern on a home-based, small-scale basis and may use for charity purposes. Mass production is prohibited. Please credit the design to Sister of The Divide.

Come Quilt Along - St. Paddy's Field

Let's Skip though St. Paddy's Field together! In this quilt along we will be making the quilt shown in the picture above. Beginner Friendly! Honest!

This year's Kona Cotton Color for 2026 is called Wander. It is a calm, confident Green that invites curiosity and open ended possibility! You do not have to make this quilt in Green. I will be making two colorways as we move through this quilt. It lends itself to scrappy (which I love). Fabric requirements will be listed here today to give you time to gather your bits and bobs.

The quilt will finish at 64.5" x 64.5". You can elect to make a table runner, a baby quilt, a larger quilt by simply increasing or decreasing the number of blocks you make. Your choice! This quilt is very suitable for a beginner quilter and will also provide a base for a more advanced quilter who may wish to experiment a bit.

Okay! Let's get down to business here. You will need the following fabrics:

For a scrappy look you will need:

11 Fat Quarters of low volume for your backgrounds

9 Fat Quarters of your main color (the dark green in the photo)

3 Fat Quarters of your secondary color (the light green in the photo)

You can also use your scraps in any combination that will equal those quantities listed above.

If you are using Yardage, you will need:

3 3/4 yards of your background fabric

3 yards of your main color

3/8 yard of your secondary color

1/2 yard of binding color

So Gather your fabrics, mark your calendars, we will meet here again on February 19th for cutting  instructions. 

This quilt will be chain pieced and will go quickly. We should have fun!

Sunday, February 15, I will post up some fat quarter bundles in our Etsy Shop if you are needing a selection. They will be $2.00/fat quarter in a bundle of 5 for $10.00 and as always, if you order $30. or more your shipping will be free! 

Contact me at SisterofTheDivide@gmail.com if you have questions.

 

Bonus Projects for the Valentine 26 Mystery

 

Bonus Valentine 26 Mystery

Table Topper, Table Runner, Mug Rug

 

If you missed the reveal of the Valentine 26 Mystery, go back and look at Clue 5. Be sure to download all of the PDF’s as this pattern will be taken down and go into my Etsy Shop for sale after February 14^th, 2026.

In this Pattern Bonus, you can make a simple Mug Rug, a simple Table Topper and a simple Table Runner.

Table Runner:

This pattern can be adjusted to fit the length of your table by simply adding or subtracting Hearts and lengthening or shortening strip piece to work with the length you need.

You will need 3 of the completed heart blocks. For this example, I have mixed them up, using a block from clue 1, 2 and 3 and the completion in clue 4.

You will need:

2 strips of your background fabric that measure 2.25” x WOF.

1 strip of your accent fabric that measures 2.25” x WOF.

2 strips of your accent fabric that measure 3.5” x WOF

2 strips of your accent fabric that measure 3.5” x 12”

3 completed heart blocks

Using a ¼” seam allowance, stitch together a strip set using your 2 background strips and 1 accent strip. It should look like the photo below.

Sub cut this strip set into the following sizes:

2 that measure 2.5” and 2 that measure 6.75”

Layout your strip set cuts and your heart blocks as shown in the finished photo below.

Stitch one of the 2.5” strip set pieces to the top of one of your heart blocks, then stitch one of the 6.75” strip set pieces to the bottom of that heart, continue by attaching another heart, another 6.75” strip set, another heart and the final 2.5” strip set.

Using your 3.5 x WOF strips, Stitch one strip down each side of your Table Runner and trim even with the top and bottom.

Using your 3.5” x 12” strips, stitch one strip to the top and one to the bottom to complete your table runner. Trim even with your sides.

( I have purposely given some flexibility here for new quilter/sewists)

For your backing - Cut a piece of fabric that measures 13.5” x WOF.

Cut a piece of thin batting (Hobbs 80/20 or similar) the same size as your backing.

With the wrong side of the fabric facing up, lay your batting on top and then lay your table runner on top of that creating a “quilt sandwich”. Pin in place carefully, smoothing and making sure that your table runner is in the middle so that there is excess batting and backing all around it. Quilt as desired. For a Newby, I would quilt by stitching in the ditch. You can watch my video tutorial for the mug rug by clicking here, and that will demonstrate how to stitch in the ditch. Add your binding and you are finished.

Mug Rug

You will need:

1 finished heart block

A scrap of batting measuring 6.5” square

A scrap of backing measuring 6.5” square

Place your backing fabric, wrong side up, lay your batting on top and then place your heart block on top of your batting centering it so you have a margin of batting and backing all the way around your block. Pin all in place. Stitch in the ditch or quilt as desired. A video showing you how to stitch in the ditch is linked here. Trim away excess batting and backing even with your heart block. Finish by binding.  For new quilters, I will link a video binding tutorial for a mug rug here.

Star Table Topper

To make the Star Table Topper you will need the following:

4 completed heart blocks each measuring 5.75” square

2 strips of an accent fabric measuring 1.5” x 5.75”

2 strips of your accent fabric measuring 1.5” x 6.6”

1 square of a different accent fabric measuring 1.5” x 1.5” square

2 squares of background fabric measuring 4.75” square

Watch the video Tutorial linked Here. 

When you have made your topper block, watch the video tutorial here for instructions to complete your project.

Please send me photos of your completed projects, I would love to see them and will post them on our social media for you. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this mystery.

 

 

 

 

Clue 5 and Reveal Valentine 26 Mystery Quilt

 Valentine 26 Clue 5

By Karen Meyer, Sister of The Divide

All Rights Reserved 2026

Final Clue and Reveal

This clue will be the final reveal with options! Please read all the

directions so you can decide your options BEFORE CUTTING.

PDF click here

For Option 1

From your Reds, Pinks or Greens, cut the following:

o A - 6 Strips measuring 5.75” x 17.25”

o B - 2 Strips measuring 5.75” x 23”

o C - 4 Strips measuring 5.75” x 16.5”

o D - 6 Strips measuring 5.75” x 8.5”

From your Background fabric, cut the following:

E - 6 Strips measuring 5.75” x WOF (with of fabric)

F - 6 Strips measuring 5.75” x 25”

Stitch your strip together using 1⁄4” seam allowances.

From your Background fabric you will create 6 Strips. Using one

E and one F to make the 6 strips.

You will be laying out 5 Strips including 13 of your previously

constructed heart blocks.

Refer to the diagram below for your layout.

Here is where you will have options to make this quilt your own.

The quilt as it laid out above will finish at 58 x 58. Make your quilt

sandwich, quilt as desired and add binding for a modern look.

You can mix up your alpha blocks using assorted colors or shades

for an interesting look as shown in the following layout.

Another option is to add borders to your quilt which will enlarge it to

68” x 68”. To add one border, you will need to cut your fabric strips

as follows: Cut 6 strips that measure 5.75” x WOF and piece them to

58” each. (measure your finished center of your quilt first to make

sure your strip will be wide enough. Everyone has a different 1⁄4”

seam allowance as they stitch, so measure first and cut to your

measure. You can add your heart blocks to the corners or leave

them off and create a solid border.

The next option is to create strip sets and cut them to the alpha

sizes indicated in the first layout to create the following option.

To create your strip sets, for the quilt without a border cut the

following:

From your Red fabric cut 12 strips measuring 2.25” x WOF

From your Background fabric cut 6 strips measure 2.25” x WOF

Make your strip sets and cut to measure and layout as in the Alpha Directions

For Candy Stripe borders you will need to cut an additional

12 strips of your red fabric and an additional 6 strips of your

background fabric. Make your strip set and cut to measure as

outlined in the Border option directions above.

Next Friday, January 23rd, 2026, I will post 2 additional bonus

projects. A table runner option and a table topper option for you.

Remember, you can use any of the 3 hearts in clues 1, 2 or 3.

I hope you enjoyed this quick quilt! Please share photos of your

process with me. Your feedback is welcomed!

Clue 4, Valentine 26 Mystery Quilt

 

Valentines 26 Mystery Quilt Clue 4

The last week of December, we introduced clues 1, 2 and 3 in our Mystery Quilt.

You will need to make 17 hearts for the quilt. You can make all your hearts the same or you can mix them up as your heart desires (all puns intended!)

This week, in Clue 4, you will be adding pieces to your hearts to create an economy block. PDF link HERE.

 

You will need to cut 34 squares of your background fabric that measure 3.75” square.

TIP: If you are a new quilter, I would suggest that you cut only 2 squares and follow the instructions, see how your block comes out, if you need additional fabric to be able to achieve the finished block size, then cut your squares at 4”. This will give you more leeway. 

Generally, 3 strips of your background fabric that measure 3.75” x WOF,  will give you enough to complete this clue.

Subcut your background 3.75” squares on the diagonal. You will need 68 to complete your 17 heart blocks.

Fold your heart block in half and finger crease on opposite sides as shown in the photo. You can elect to mark that crease at this time, so that it is easier to see.  I use a SEWLINE Air Erase pen to do this. I am not sponsored by them, it’s just what I like to use. You can use any marking method that does not leave a permanent mark. Take your background fabric and with WRONG SIDES TOGETHER fold the tips and make a crease in the center as shown in the photo.

Line your creased edge of your background fabric with the crease on your block and pin in place. Do the same for the opposite side.

Stitch a ¼” seam allowance down each side as shown in the photo. Press to the outside as shown in the photo.DO NOT CUT OFF THE DOG EARS AT THIS POINT.

Turn your block and repeat the process as above with the two remaining opposite sides. Before you press open your block, you can now trim the first set of dog ears as shown in the photo. And press your block open.

Using your square up ruler, you will need to square your block up to 5.75” as shown in the photo.

Clue 5 will come out on January 16th, 2026. Please contact me if you have any questions. The video for Clue 4 is up on our YouTube Channel. Subscribe so you don't miss out and give us a like!                             Click Here for the Video.

We have a group on Facebook where you can share your progress and ask questions. Click Here.

The mystery is FREE and will be up until February 14th, 2026. After that you can purchase the pattern in our Etsy Shop.

Clue 5 will be fun ad will have 3 options for you to select from for you quilt. This way, you can make it your own!

Thanks for Playing Along with us!

If you need fabric for your hearts, we have fat quarter bundles at a great price in our Etsy Shop. $2.00/ fat quarter!

Valentine 26 Mystery QAL Clue 3

Valentines 2026 Mystery Quilt Along

Clue 3

Designed by Karen Meyer, Sister of The Divide, All Rights Reserved 12/30/2025

 

Welcome! This Mystery Quilt and the accompanying video tutorials are designed for a Beginning Quilter. There are several options along the way. To start you will need to gather your scraps of fabric in pinks or reds for your hearts and low volume or white for your background. That said, colors are not in stone, so if you feel like coloring outside the crayon box, by all means,  feel free to do so.

I will offer tips along the way, which have worked for me over the years. There are always multiple ways to achieve the same results. Do not feel like what I am teaching you is dogma and that the Quilt Police will be after you if you don’t do it “my” way. Just have fun, relax, you will have a beautiful quilt.

Now, if you are like me, and you have been around the “mystery” block (all puns intended), and you want to wait and see how it all comes together, that is perfectly fine also. Download the PDF pattern files as the clues come out and save them. I will be removing the mystery after February 14^th, 2026. It will then be placed in my Etsy shop and you will need to  purchase the pattern after that. Until then, it’s free for you to enjoy.  

PDF LINK FOR CLUE 3 HERE Corrected

VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR CLUE 3 HERE

Clue 1 click Here

Clue 2 click Here Corrected

Okay, let’s get started!

You will need, your sewing machine, rotary cutter, mat, iron, thread, starch, a 12” x 6” ruler, a 6” square up ruler, scissors, a marking pencil or air erase pen.

ALL SEAMS ARE ¼”

Clue #3: There are 3 hearts. This will be the most challenging part of this QAL. If you are making the quilt, you will need to make 17 hearts in total.  You can make all your hearts the same or you can mix them up. If you just want to make a few hearts and see where it goes, that’s fine too. You can always make a baby quilt or a table runner. We will be making a large throw size quilt 60” X 65”. For bigger sizes you may want to make extra hearts.

Heart #3  A tiny Nine Patch completes this heart.

Cut  the following from your Pink or Red heart fabric:

Two rectangles measuring 2” x 2.75”

Three strips measuring 6” x 1.25”

Cut the following from your background fabric:

One 2” x 2” square

Four 1.25” x 1.25” squares

Three  6” x 1.25” strips

Follow the instructions on Clue #1 to create the outside heart pieces.

To create the little nine patch you will first make two strip sets.

One will have two background strips and one heart strip

The other strip set will have two heart strips and one background

Stitch together your strip sets as shown below  and press to the dark fabric.

Now cutting across the strip sets, for each nine patch you will cut, strips across the strip set that measure 1.25” wide as shown below. Match up your seams and stitch your nine patch together. Your 9 patch should measure 2.75" square.

Place the outside pieces to your heart in place to make the “4” patch as shown below and stitch together. Square up your block as shown in Clue 2 Video. 

Refer to the Videos for step by step instructions.

You have completed the third heart in our mystery quilt. You need to make a total of 17 hearts. You can mix and match them or select the one you like the best. The next clue will have additional options for you to select but will be very easy as well. You have plenty of time to get your hearts completed. The next clue will come on Friday, January 9th.

If you need fabric for your project we have some pretty floral bundles in our Etsy Shop, they are priced at $10.00 per five fat quarter bundle, 10% off when you buy 2 and free shipping when you buy 3.