It’s been six or seven years since my last visit to Bittersweet Quilt Shop in Pinconning, Michigan but it’s just as delightful as I remember. Owner Tina Bauer invited me out to teach the Elemental Coat/Quilt to Coat class and sold out so fast, she added a second day.

Many of the students had chosen cheater fabric and then longarmed the layers. Several had quilts that they had made, including one made with the Aviatrix Medallion pattern by Elizabeth Hartman (always a favorite of mine!).

Ashley brought a string quilt made with scraps from Ruby Star Society that made me want to steal her coat — LOL!

Angela, a founding member of the Dream Team community, designed a quilt just for the coat and lined it with Luxe Cuddle® for extra warmth and it turned out beautifully. The pockets even have Cuddle® on both sides so they are super soft!

There were so many wonderful variations to come out of the class, including the coat made by Amy (front row at left in photo above) that was made from a vintage, hand-quilted, fan quilt. After cutting it out, she decided she’d rather show off the beautiful quilting work than the piecing work and made the back side of the quilt, the outside of the coat.

Heidi (third from bottom on the right) used a bedspread she’d found at an estate sale for an elegant silky golden coat. Jan, a long-time follower, drove a couple hours to join me for class, so we could spend the day together and made one of her first quilts into a coat she loves (on the left in the second row).

Every time I teach this workshop, I’m amazed at all the variety that we get. With the variations available in the Elemental Coat pattern (length, neckline, etc), and the different types of fabrics to start with, we never quite know what we’ll end up with. But it’s always wonderful.

Thanks again to Tina, the owner of Bittersweet Quilt Shop, and all the ladies who joined me over the last couple days for bringing me out to Michigan again to teach. It’s always a delight and a great way to kick off quilt coat season!

Happy sewing!