Meet Tom and Vicki in their own words…
Hi. This is Tom and Vicki McCarty from Calico Patch Quilt Shop…the home of Calico Patch Designs. We were featured as a Top Quilt Shop in the Better Homes & Gardens Fall 2018 Quilt Sampler, and our project “Homespun Appeal” was featured on the front cover.
Homespun Appeal featured in Quilt Sampler
Here is a little about us and why we love AQS QuiltWeek!
The beginning…
I am a fourth-generation quilter. Over 40 years ago in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountians, I learned to quilt from my grandmother. I enjoyed spending time with my grandmother who lived to be 101. As a young girl, I remember being told that I couldn’t quilt on the adult quilting frame until my sewing was good enough not to get a toe caught in the quilting stitches. That drove me to practice my stitches and take quilting classes through the years.
One day, my mom asked, “Why do you take so many classes? You know how to quilt.” I replied, “I want to learn all I can, even if it is just one small technique that could make things easier, faster, or better.” Something I enjoy sharing with other quilters today!
Years later, I was approached by the local Community Education and asked to teach quilting classes. They were very popular, and I quickly grew a small quilting community in our area.
We opened Calico Patch in 2000. I continued to teach sewing, quilting, and embroidery, as well as designing quilts for classes, shop hops, and retreats.
Tom retired from the Kentucky State Police and joined me in the quilt shop. He is a BERNINA technician and learned to run our Gammill longarm quilting machine. Tom has since quilted over 1000 custom quilts for customers with several winning at local quilt shows.
A new dream emerged…
My patterns gained local popularity, and before I knew it, my fabric reps were encouraging me to publish them. A new dream emerged. In 2015, we introduced Calico Patch Designs nationwide and made our pattern debut at the AQS QuiltWeek in Chattanooga.
We had been to the Paducah show and knew AQS not only had so much to see and do, but for a vendor, they had the professionalism and quality we wanted to partner with. We chose AQS QuiltWeek as our sink or swim moment, fortunately it turned out great!
A Notion to Quilt, featured in the July 2018 issue of American Quilter.
I have since lectured and taught at quilt shows and guilds across the country. My designs have been published in American Quilter, Quilt Sampler, AQS’s OnPoint newsletter, AQSblog.com, and MODA Bake Shop. I have over 100 patterns on the market with several Block of the Months and Stitch-A-Longs in stores across the country. It is amazing to look back in sketch books and see my designs come to life in fabric, and then even more astonishing to me that other people want to make my creations. I never dreamed how quilting would influence my life.
Click here to make the Wool Winter Sleigh. Be sure to visit Calico Patch Designs for the kit!
I love mixing wool applique with traditional cotton antique blocks made with quick and practical methods. I enjoy teaching and sharing my love for quilting. Seeing my student’s projects excites me as much as the look on their faces when they have that “Ah-Ha” moment realizing they can make beautiful quilts. I always try to stress in my classes that my way is not the only way. I fill my classes and lectures with charming and comical stories of my experiences to keep students laughing while they sew.
And fabric too…
In 2018, I began designing fabric for Marcus Fabrics. I have two lines of fabric in stores now. A new line debuts this fall at the International Quilt Market.
My book, Calico Patches, showcases my ten newest designs using my fabric lines, Patches of Joy and Patches of Autumn. The Patch-Its collection features coordinated colors and designs on one bolt essentially giving eight different pieces of fabric in one. The eight designs on each bolt are 5” wide making it easy for charm pack and jelly roll patterns, and are perfect for the scrappy feel I love in my quilts.
Christmas panel from my Patches of Joy fabric line.
I teach and/or vend at most all AQS QuiltWeek shows. I am a full time instructor for 2019 AQS QuiltWeek Grand Rapids and we will have our beautiful booth in the vendor mall.
Stop by and visit us…
Visit our booth to pick up my book, Calico Patches, see my new fabrics lines, and shop our large collection of original patterns. Enjoy the show. There’s so much to do…quilts, classes, vendors, Learning Center, so much talent and inspiration in any direction you look!
We vend at all six AQS QuiltWeek Shows! Visit our website for other shows and locations near you!
If you can’t make it to QuiltWeek this fall, be sure to check out our online store at calicopatchdesign.com or come by our shop, Calico Patch, in Morehead, Kentucky. We’d love to see you!
I am so humbled and blessed to not only make a living doing something I love, but I also have the opportunity to share and pass on this knowledge to so many others. AQS QuiltWeek shows are always exciting with so much to take in. I love being part of each show, from meeting new quilters or seeing old friends, to making the crowds laugh at the Learning Center.
Calico Patch hosts several retreats a year to include a Beach Front Retreat in North Carolina.
In May of 2020, I am co-hosting a Wool Applique Quilt and Cruise in the Caribbean.
Were you doing a tutorial for the latest wooly block