From Our Sewing Rooms: Meet Pat from St. Catharines, Ontario

Welcome to our new blog series, From Our Sewing Rooms!
In this series, we’re shining a spotlight on the most important members of our community – our readers! You’re the ones who support our work, cheer us on, and make the Make Modern community the BEST place to be on the internet.

Each post will introduce you to a different quilter from our global community, sharing their story, their sewing space, their favourite projects, and a peek into their creative lives.

We’re so excited to introduce you to Pat, a modern quilter from St. Catharines, Ontario, who brings colour, creativity, and quiet determination to every stitch. With two dedicated sewing spaces and a love for clean, bold design, Pat’s story is one of growth, community, and finding joy in the process. From her first “pointless” quilt to placing in a show, she’s a shining example of what makes our quilting community so inspiring.

In her light-filled second-floor studio in Ontario, Pat Scully is surrounded by fabric, colour, and the quiet hum of her sewing machines. What started with a quilting class that didn’t quite go to plan has since grown into a full-blown passion. These days, Pat is not only a proud member of the Niagara Modern Quilt Guild, she also has two dedicated sewing spaces in her home. One for piecing, and one for longarming in what used to be her sunroom.

“A friend suggested I take a quilting course,” Pat says. “It didn’t go well at all. But with a good friend by my side, I persevered. And voilà, I’m quilting and making bags.”

Quilting at Pat’s place is a two-level operation. Her main studio holds three sewing machines, including her trusty Bernina B475QE for piecing and a Janome HD9 she swears by for bag-making and zipping through quilt binding. Upstairs in the sunroom, her longarm machine has its own space. Her husband has claimed the basement for his hobbies, so the balance works well.

When it comes to favourite tools, Pat’s top pick is her long-bladed seam ripper, affectionately nicknamed Bob (aka Jack). “Ripping out is a breeze,” she says. “Yes, we all do whoopsies.” Her must-haves also include a 6″ x 24″ ruler and a collection of Frixion and Clover markers. And like many of us, she has no shortage of gadgets at her fingertips!

Pat stores her fabric in plastic bins, sorted neatly by colour. She’s even started wrapping fabric around old plastic placemats to save space, a clever solution when you’ve got more fabric than bins. Precuts and layer cakes have their own dedicated tubs in a second sewing room. Right now, Pat is working through her UFO pile. She’s just finished three flimsies and is preparing to complete her oldest work-in-progress, a quilt she calls “Pointless.” “It was one of the first I attempted, before I knew how to preserve points. But I promised I’d finish it, and it’s going to be a charity quilt.”

Her proudest quilt so far is “Windswept” by On Williams Street. It won her second place at a quilt show, a moment she remembers with pride. “I was so honoured and proud. My chest almost burst.”

Pat’s style is modern, bold and clean. She occasionally works in a scrappy style to use up her stash, though improv hasn’t quite clicked for her. “I can’t seem to get the hang of it,” she says. “So I’ve decided it’s just not for me.”

Her playlist depends on her mood. She often sews to music on Spotify but sometimes prefers the quiet to clear her head. When she’s not quilting, you’ll find her in the garden. Ontario summers are short, so she tries to make the most of them, often doing handwork outdoors beside her pond, listening to birds and the sound of the waterfall.

Pat discovered Make Modern through her friend Kathleen and has had her own subscription for over two years. “I LOVE the articles,” she says. “They’re written in an engaging way that keeps me interested. Many of them make me think outside the box.” She also loves the layout, the product info, and the patterns, especially from designer Preeti Harris.

She hasn’t made a quilt from Make Modern yet, but she’s printed several patterns and has them ready to go. “Soon,” she promises.

Pat shops both online and in-store. Her favourite local quilt shop is Up Yur Quilt. She also participates in Block of the Month programs, quilting subscription boxes, and mystery quilt projects. While she hasn’t joined a retreat or cruise yet, it’s on her wish list, as long as sewing machines are included.

She’s taken workshops with Al Cote (colour theory and layered panels), Debbie Brown (feather quilting), Art East (precise piecing), and Retro Quilter (conquering curves). And when it comes to splurging, Pat doesn’t hold back. Fabric comes first, followed by tools, patterns, and classes.

She keeps up with new products and trends through Facebook, blogs, YouTube, quilt shops, and of course, Make Modern.

Her dream quilting destination is Italy. “I’d love to visit the Aurifil factory,” she says. “And I’d bring my friend Jan with me.”

“Get the magazine. It’s full of wonderful articles, news about designers, and patterns. So much value packed into every issue.”

Her creativity, perseverance and love for modern quilting are a wonderful reflection of the Make Modern community. Quilters like Pat remind us why we make, how we learn, and what it means to create something meaningful with our hands.

• Go-to quilt shop: Up Yur Quilt is her local favourite for both in-store and online shopping.
• Brands she loves: AGF (Art Gallery Fabrics) is at the top of her list for its quality and colour palettes.
• Fabric splurges? Absolutely – fabric comes first, followed closely by tools, patterns, and classes.
• Bucket list quilting destination? Italy. Pat dreams of visiting the Aurifil factory and would take her quilting friend Jan along for the adventure.

Thank you Pat – we’re so grateful to have you in our Make Modern community!

💌 Want to share your story and be featured in the From Our Sewing Rooms series?

We’d love to hear your quilting story! If you’re a Make Modern reader and would like to be one of our featured quilters, email our team, or reply to one of our newsletters. We can’t wait to share more stories from the amazing makers who make up our community!

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For over a decade, Make Modern has inspired quilters in 70+ countries around the globe. Independently published by a team of dedicated Australian women, each issue of our magazine is a treasure trove of patterns with step-by-step instructions, tips and techniques to improve your skills, interviews with the most inspiring quilters, and more! With over 600 quilt patterns in our database, you’re sure to find the perfect project for you. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced quilter, we have something for every skill level, covering every technique. Accessible digitally, read on-the-go, on holidays, and reference patterns while fabric shopping! With no physical storage needed, we won’t take up any precious fabric storage space, you’ll be able to easily find patterns and articles, and we’re environmentally friendly. Win-win-win! Subscribe today and make quilts you and your family will love!