Seattle’s SDA group had the pleasure of having Patricia Belyea speak to them recently.  Patricia is both the owner of Okan Arts and the powerhouse that created “Stashfest”- a fundraiser for the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum.  Her passionate voice in the Northwest quilting community encourages and cajoles others to try using unusual fabrics in their artwork, as well as contributing to and building the Northwest as a major quilting center.

Okan Arts imports vintage Japanese Yukata Cottons, as well as being Patricia’s business for selling her artisan quilts, being a speaker and teacher, and leading retreats.  There are a few places still available in the 2013 Okan Arts Quilt Retreat with Joe Cunningham and Patricia Belyea.  In their retreat, students mater techniques for creating simple yet innovative quilts, learning directly through cutting and sewing.  Held on Hood Canal (2 hours from SeaTac airport) the 5 night workshop includes instruction, programs, ALL meals & snacks, and group accommodations.  The dates are Sunday Nov 10- Fri Nov 15, 2013.  Patricia and Joe are generously contributing a portion of the proceeds from this retreat to support the  La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum.  For more information or to register go to the Okan Arts website at: http://okanarts.com/learn/retreat/

Patricia also leads some fun classes out of her Ballard-based Okan Arts classroom, including “Counterintuitive Piecing”, “Doodle Piecing”, and “Freemotion Quilting”.  You can check out more about these classes at: http://okanarts.com/learn/seattle-classes/

Looking to spice up your fabric stash?  Contact Patricia to come see and buy some of the lovely hand-dyed yukata cotton fabrics from Japan.  She has more than 450 bolts available!  http://okanarts.com/contact/