Another visit to the "Pumpkin Patch" -

Hello! I’d like to introduce myself to you. My name is Shannon Arnstein. I am the author of “Quilting with Panels and Patchwork,” published October 31, 2023. I love everything about this quilting world! I am a pattern designer, and I love making the colors in the fabrics “sing” and “pop” off each other. Today, I am sharing with you my “Pumpkin Patch” quilt.

The Pumpkin Patch quilt was a total remake of a quilt from my book “Quilting with Panels and Patchwork.” Panels are inspiring to look at and consider using in our quilting projects, but they can be frustrating to incorporate into a project. In my book, I help not only with the inspiration but also with the how-to and common pitfalls of panels and how to overcome these pitfalls.

The Pumpkin Patch panel by Janet Wecker Frisch was the perfect panel to remake one of the cover quilts from my book. I love the concentric diamond design surrounding a panel. When designing a quilt or project, we must deal in finished sizes, such as the panel and the Half-Square Triangle blocks. Once the design is finalized, the cutting sizes are figured by adding back the seam allowances. For the math to come out correctly, I added a small “cheater” strip on all sides of the panel and then was able to proceed with the Half-Square Triangles laid out in a concentric diamond configuration. The cheater strip helps the math come out correctly and acts as another border to frame the panel design. When looking at this quilt, you overlook the cheater strip but take in the whole design instead of focusing on the one small strip.

The Pumpkin Patch fabric collection from J. Wecker Frisch offered the perfect complimentary fabrics to coordinate with the Pumpkin Patch panel. I chose the Black Pumpkin Toss as my dark in the Half-square triangles and added the yellows, oranges, and white fabrics to ensure maximum contrast to allow the concentric diamond to “pop.” Gather your supplies today to make a beautiful quilt of your own.

My book is available at local quilt shops, I have autographed copies in my Etsy shophttps://footpedalproductions.etsy.com, and wherever books are sold.