Patt will be teaching a two day class on Monday and Tuesday, 1202 Painted Quilt Art and two evening classes, one on Thursday 4030 Media Mixer and on Saturday, 6034 The Art of Quilting. Patt will also be one of six instructors on Cruising with Road to California April 15-29, 2014.

Personal: The two t’s in Oklahoma born Patt Blair’s first name can easily stand for teacher-traveler. Patt loves traveling to find interesting new places and people as well as relaxing in familiar surroundings with nature all around. She has done quilt traveling to such faraway places as the Baltic and Ecuador. And as an experienced teacher, she “LOVES the peaceful, playful rhythm that materializes in a classroom of happy quilters/artists…Many of my students are new to my artistic approach to quilting and I work hard at making them a success.’

How did you get started in quilting? Had To!! Weekend walks with quilter friends left me out of conversations for a long time so I had to get into it and of course was hooked.

Does anyone else in your family quilt? My math minded fire captain brother in law  abandoned his wood shop for a while as he loved  quilters tools so he jumped in to learn and produced 2 beautiful quilts so far.

Where do you find your inspiration for your quilting? Having been born on the plains of Oklahoma with nature and a special dog being my earliest ‘friends,’  I find my favorite subjects in nature and am generally drawn to images that include a heartbeat.  I love driving home the connection between two beings. As to the actual quilting of the piece,  I sometimes think I need to join(or maybe just start)  a special addiction group for quilters as I find interesting patterns of line everywhere… freeway walls, advertisements, bottoms of shoes, floor mats, fabric samples, etc., etc.

My Gentle Giant Ben ( Best Painted Surface Road to Ca 2012, Master Award for Machine Artistry 2012 Houston International)     

What is the one quilting tool you can’t live without? I used to say my seam ripper 🙁   … but now I would say it is a Supreme Slider.  Quilting atop this product makes my quilt life MUCH easier and eliminates some occasional stitching problems.

What has been the best class you have taken? That is easy to say… the one that got me started painting on fabric. In the year 2000, I took a two day, Hollis Chatelain painting with dyes class, at Road to California.  I had been a long time painter on canvas and paper, and longing to transition to painting on fabric. That class opened the door for me to search for a medium that possessed the elements of transparency I so loved in watercolors.   I eventually found permanent inks as my most used medium for painting fabric and  I am eternally grateful for that first chance to explore wet medium on fabric.

In Quitos Market 

What is the funniest or most embarrassing moment you have had while teaching? I find the funniest things often come up in class from lips of students… all in fun. 

What do you want your students to get out of your class? I have always said I have one rule and one goal in my painting classes. The RULE is theirs ( no self-criticism) so they have a freedom to explore without anxiety.   I do say that they can criticize me but hopefully when I’m out of earshot. 😉   And the GOAL is mine.  I want students to leave at the end of the class feeling a wee bit “cocky” that they produced something of which they are enormously proud.