For more than 25 years, artist Jennifer Patterson has turned her passion into a thriving business, creating jewelry and accessories based on traditional quilting blocks and patterns.

Today, she has expanded into more modern designs and works based on hot air balloons. But one thing remains the same: she works in polymer clay, her ideas coming to life with the versatility and diversity of the medium.

Quilted in Clay will have a booth at Virtual Quilt Festival, Dec. 3-5. Friends@Festival talked with Patterson about her background, the business, and more.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL BACKGROUND AND WHEN YOU STARTED MAKING JEWELRY.

Creating “things” has been a passion of mine since I started sewing when I was eight years old. After graduating from high school, I earned a degree in Home Furnishing. For many years, I worked in that field designing and selling custom decor features: draperies, kitchens, upholstery and the like. When my third child was born, we decided it would be easier if I was a stay at home mom.

 

AT WHAT POINT DID YOU DECIDE TO TURN IT INTO A BUSINESS, AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW NOW YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU STARTED?

Initially, I was creating painted wood items and selling them locally to bring in some additional income. That morphed into soft-sculpted dolls, and eventually sculpting with polymer clay for the heads and hands. After a while, I worked on small figurines, with simple clothing, from polymer clay.

 

The figurines meant I had left over clay to do ‘”something” with, and that something turned into jewelry. While selling at a retail show, customers kept asking me what quilt pattern I was using for the jewelry designs. I wasn’t a quilter, and knew nothing about specific patterns, but that was the start of a wonderful idea for jewelry. At the same show, a local quilt guild asked if I could create their logo in jewelry. I could and did! Quilted in Clay was officially born at that show. Because I knew absolutely nothing about running a business, there were some rough lessons to learn. A few business classes at that time would have helped tremendously.

 

​

 

 

HOW YOU MAKE THE JEWELRY IS SUCH AN INVOLVED AND INTRICATE PROCESS. ARE THINGS PRETTY MUCH PLANNED OUT ENTIRELY AT FIRST, OR ARE YOU ABLE TO IMPROVISE DESIGNS/ADDITIONS AT ALL?

To make the design work, you must carefully plan-and-plot it out. Random designs are fun to do, but if I want to create a true quilt block pattern or an intricate design such as for the Cherrywood Fabric Challenge, pre-planning everything is mandatory.

WHAT MAKES POLYMER CLAY YOUR PREFERRED MEDIUM?

How long do you have for my answer? Seriously though, polymer clay is amazingly versatile, it comes in 50 pre-made colors, and all the colors can be combined to create the exact shade you’re looking for. Plus, nothing beats working with your hands to make your vision come to life.

HOW AND WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR DESIGN IDEAS?

My ideas come from everywhere. Obviously quilt blocks patterns, mosaic tiles, artwork, the flowers in my garden, hot air balloons, fabric patterns. There is literally no end to where an idea for a design can spring from.

 

WHAT IS THE FUNNIEST OR MOST BIZARRE THING THAT’S HAPPENED WITH QUILTED IN CLAY OVER THE YEARS?

We were doing a show, and had sold a pair of earrings that the customer immediately put on. A few hours later, she returned to the booth asking about our "warranty". Turns out she was in the bathroom, and one of the earrings fell out of her ear and into the toilet; she said she “almost” caught it. I created a warranty on the spot, and made certain she had a pair of earrings to wear.

 

DO YOU FIND YOU HAVE CUSTOMERS WHO AREN’T NECESSARILY QUILTERS AT ALL?

Definitely! There are a large number of customers that aren’t quilters, but love the designs.

 

HOW IS YOUR FAMILY INVOLVED?

Originally my kids (three girls) would come to the shows and help out. As the shows got larger, and traveling further away became necessary, my husband would take time off work to help. Because the company he worked for closed, he became my full-time help. The girls are all grown with families of their own now, so I’m just waiting until their kids are old enough to help grandma.

​

HOW HAVE YOU EXPANDED YOUR OFFERINGS BEYOND JEWELRY IN RECENT YEARS?

Currently, the only non-jewelry item we offer are the holiday ornaments.

 

WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR THE FUTURE, AND HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED YOUR BUSINESS?

The pandemic means our only venue is online selling. The website has been redesigned for larger images, better navigating, and a streamlined checkout process. Marketing for online sales is a never-ending learning experience. I am also working on several new designs that are not quilt blocks, and should appeal to a wider audience. Eventually, we hope to be able to person shows again.

 

 

 

​For more on Jennifer Patterson and Quilted in Clay, visit www.JennyPatDesigns.com