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Episode 602 of the American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast is an approximately 67-minute conversation with Joanna Figueroa, the founder and creative lead of Fig Tree & Co. Released on February 19, 2024, the interview explores how Figueroa entered quilting, why vintage quilts and flea-market finds continue to shape her work, how she thinks about fabric scraps, and where traditional and modern quilting meet.
It is not a step-by-step project lesson. Its value is the look at a creative practice: how a quilter collects visual references, makes decisions about materials, and reinterprets inherited forms without losing their history.
What Episode 602 covers
The episode’s official description identifies several subjects:
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- Joanna Figueroa’s path into quilting and design
- Her favorite parts of quilting
- How she decides which fabric scraps to keep
- The relationship between traditional and modern quilting
- Vintage quilts and her first vintage-quilt purchase
- A memorable flea-market discovery in Paris
- A zigzag quilting technique she uses frequently
- One Common Thread’s hand-sewn hexagon projects
You can find the episode through the official American Patchwork & Quilting episode page. Podcast directories, including Apple Podcasts, list it as a February 19, 2024 release running for roughly one hour and seven minutes.
From quilt-shop work to Fig Tree & Co.
Figueroa’s career illustrates one way a creative practice can develop gradually rather than beginning with a single grand plan. Her early work included making and selling finished quilts and accessories. She later worked and taught at a quilt shop before moving into pattern and fabric design.
Her biography also describes an earlier interest in graphic design, papermaking, printmaking, and textiles. Those interests help explain the character of Fig Tree & Co.: quilting is treated both as visual composition and as a useful, physical object.
Figueroa is now the owner and creative lead of Fig Tree & Co., which produces quilting, sewing, and accessory patterns and designs licensed fabric collections for Moda Fabrics. The company says it offers more than 150 patterns, including projects designed around precut formats such as jelly rolls, layer cakes, and charm packs.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThat background matters to the interview because Figueroa’s work is not presented as a choice between fine-art inspiration and practical craft. The design has to work as an image, but it also has to become something that can be cut, sewn, handled, used, and lived with.
Why vintage quilts are central to her design vocabulary
Vintage quilts, old textiles, flea-market objects, and everyday color combinations are recurring sources of inspiration for Figueroa. Rather than treating antique quilts as untouchable museum pieces, she studies what they can teach a contemporary maker about proportion, rhythm, repetition, and color.
Her official biography says that her first antique quilt was purchased at a garage sale for $7. That detail comes from the Fig Tree & Co. biography, not from the public episode description, so it is best understood as background to the conversation rather than as a claim made in the podcast itself.
The important lesson is not the price of that first quilt. It is the act of looking closely. A vintage quilt can reveal how a maker handled limited materials, repeated a block, balanced irregularities, or created energy through an unexpected color relationship. Those observations can then be translated into a new pattern without copying the original object.
Figueroa’s stated influences include color combinations found in nature and ordinary surroundings. A flea-market find, a faded textile, or a group of objects on a table can supply the starting point for a palette. This is a useful approach for any visual maker: inspiration does not have to arrive as a finished composition. It can begin with a small relationship between colors, shapes, textures, or marks.
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Scraps: deciding what deserves to stay
One of the episode’s most practical subjects is Figueroa’s approach to fabric scraps. The public show notes confirm that the topic is discussed, but they do not provide a complete transcript or a precise list of measurements, storage categories, or keep-and-discard thresholds.
That distinction is important. The episode can be accurately described as a conversation about how she evaluates scraps; it should not be presented as though it gives a rigid formula such as “keep every piece larger than a particular size.”
For a quilter, the broader idea is valuable: scraps are not automatically useful simply because they are small, and they are not automatically disposable because they are irregular. Their potential depends on color, scale, fabric quality, shape, and the kind of project they might serve.
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- Does the fabric still have a useful amount of life? Fragile, badly stained, or distorted fabric may not withstand cutting and sewing.
- Does it offer a color or value that is difficult to replace? A small piece of an unusual shade may be more useful than a larger piece of a common one.
- Is the scale distinctive? Tiny prints, stripes, checks, and low-volume textures can play different roles in a block.
- Can the shape be cut into something intentional? An awkward remnant may work for a small patch, applique element, or pieced accent.
- Does keeping it support a real project? A scrap system is most useful when it helps you make decisions rather than creating an ever-growing box of unresolved leftovers.
These are general working questions, not a transcription of Figueroa’s personal rules. The episode’s contribution is the invitation to think of stash management as part of design: choosing what remains available shapes what can be made later.
When turning scraps into accurately sized quilt pieces, a quilting rotary cutter is one of the standard tools quilters may use alongside an acrylic ruler and self-healing cutting mat. A 45 mm cutter is commonly used for general quilting cuts, but the right size depends on the maker’s projects and comfort. This is a general equipment reference, not a claim that Figueroa used or endorsed a particular brand or model.
Traditional and modern quilting are not sealed categories
Figueroa also discusses the relationship between traditional and modern quilting. The most useful way to understand that conversation is not as a strict definition of two opposing camps. Quilting contains shared histories, techniques, blocks, and purposes, while individual makers may reinterpret them through scale, negative space, color, layout, fabric choice, or construction.
A traditional block can become the basis for a very contemporary composition. Conversely, a quilt with a modern visual treatment may still depend on longstanding piecing methods and inherited design knowledge. The categories overlap because quilting itself is cumulative: new work is often made by changing the emphasis of something familiar.
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The American Patchwork & Quilting Designer Challenge extended this discussion through classic blocks. One installment paired Joanna Figueroa with Alexia Marcelle Abegg around the Log Cabin block. Later pairings used the Weathervane block with Alison Glass and the Churn Dash block with Jen Kingwell.
These examples make the distinction concrete. The shared block supplies a common starting point; the designers’ choices determine the resulting voice. Differences may appear in the size of the block, the amount of background, the intensity of the palette, the treatment of symmetry, or the way the finished quilt directs the eye.
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- 【Washing Instructions】- Avoid pre-washing the batting before quilting. After finishing your quilt, wash it in a large washing machine with cold water and a small amount of liquid soap. Tumble dry on low heat and then place the quilt in the sun to dry thoroughly. Initially, the batting may appear thin and less soft due to compression packaging. You can quilt at this stage or pat the batting to restore its fluffy and soft appearance.
- 【Dimensions】- Our cotton batting is available in multiple sizes: 47×59 inches, 59x79 inches, 71x79 inches, and 79x91 inches. These large sizes are perfect for crafting quilts, pot holders, wearable art, and other projects.
- 【High-quality Cotton Batting for Quilts】- Our dense cotton pads do not require disassembly and can be washed after quilting. This ensures that your bedding products have evenly distributed cotton, providing superior comfort and durability.
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For someone designing a new quilt, the conversation suggests a productive alternative to asking, “Is this traditional or modern?” Ask instead:
- Which historical element am I retaining?
- Which design decision am I changing?
- Does the change come from color, scale, spacing, fabric, construction, or quilting?
- Can the original source remain recognizable while the new work has its own purpose?
The zigzag technique: a resource, not a full tutorial
The official show notes mention a zigzag quilting technique that Figueroa uses frequently and direct listeners to a YouTube tutorial. The available notes do not establish the exact machine, stitch length, thread, tension, or other settings.
Readers should therefore use the episode page and its linked tutorial as the starting point, rather than expecting Episode 602 itself to teach a complete, reproducible technique. Before sewing the finished quilt, test the method on a layered sample made from similar fabrics and batting. That lets you check the appearance, movement, and tension on your own machine.
One Common Thread and hand-sewn hexagons
Episode 602 also references One Common Thread, an organization associated with hand-sewn hexagon products made by women in Honduras. The episode notes describe the purchase of a kit as providing employment for one woman for one month.
Because product contents and program descriptions can change, present-tense details should come from the organization’s current listing. At the time represented by the supplied research, the One Common Thread hexagon quilt kit page described a pre-sewn scrap-quilt kit containing 950 handmade one-inch hexagons, instructions, a quilt pattern, and a storage tote.
Hand-sewn hexagons connect several themes in the interview: the usefulness of small pieces, the value of slow construction, the social life of textile work, and the way a traditional form can be carried into a contemporary project. Check the organization’s current product page for availability, contents, and the latest explanation of its employment model before purchasing.
Exploring Fig Tree & Co. after the interview
Readers who want to see how Figueroa’s ideas become projects can browse the official Fig Tree & Co. store, which currently lists patterns, books, kits, bundles, precut fabrics, thread, notions, and block-of-the-month products. Examples shown in the supplied research include Summer’s End materials, Chunky Dandelion patterns and kits, My Secret Garden and Apple Blossom Road sampler programs, low-volume cream scrap bags, ribbon packs, and toweling bundles.
Availability is volatile: a current product listing should not be treated as a permanent catalog, and older fabric collections may become difficult to find after going out of print. Figueroa’s fabric archive is useful for understanding the range of collections, but it is not a guarantee that every archived collection remains available as yardage. The company generally directs shoppers toward independent quilt shops and Moda’s store locator rather than functioning as a conventional yardage retailer.
For readers who are drawn specifically to the palette and fabric side of the work, the relevant search terms are Fig Tree patterns, Joanna Figueroa patterns, and Fig Tree Moda fabrics. Check the current official store, an authorized retailer, or Moda’s current retailer information before assuming that a particular collection can still be purchased.
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- 【Exquisite Quilt Cotton Balls】- Crafted from 100% cotton batting, our quilt cotton balls offer a natural softness and warmth that enhances the comfort of your quilts. The cotton is fluffy and resistant to tearing, making it ideal for quilting projects.
- 【Washing Instructions】- Avoid pre-washing the batting before quilting. After finishing your quilt, wash it in a large washing machine with cold water and a small amount of liquid soap. Tumble dry on low heat and then place the quilt in the sun to dry thoroughly. Initially, the batting may appear thin and less soft due to compression packaging. You can quilt at this stage or pat the batting to restore its fluffy and soft appearance.
- 【Dimensions】- Our cotton batting is available in multiple sizes: 47×59 inches, 59x79 inches, 71x79 inches, and 79x91 inches. These large sizes are perfect for crafting quilts, pot holders, wearable art, and other projects.
- 【High-quality Cotton Batting for Quilts】- Our dense cotton pads do not require disassembly and can be washed after quilting. This ensures that your bedding products have evenly distributed cotton, providing superior comfort and durability.
- 【Ease of Use】 - Our cotton batting is designed for easy cutting and layering. The flat and even texture allows you to cut it to your desired size without worrying about uneven tearing or poor distribution.
Related resources mentioned around the episode
The episode notes also point toward wider American Patchwork & Quilting resources, including the publication’s subscription and digital-pattern offerings. Those offers and any historical discount terms should be checked directly at the publisher’s current website rather than assumed to remain active.
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What makes the interview useful for visual makers
Although the subject is quilting, the creative questions extend beyond patchwork:
- Collect references deliberately. Vintage objects and ordinary surroundings can provide more specific inspiration than a vague search for “ideas.”
- Study structure, not just appearance. A vintage quilt offers lessons in repetition, proportion, contrast, and constraint.
- Let materials influence the design. Scraps are not merely leftovers; their size, color, and texture can change the composition.
- Use tradition as a starting point. A familiar form can support experimentation rather than preventing it.
- Keep utility in the conversation. Quilting joins visual decisions to an object that is sewn, handled, and used.
Episode 602 is therefore less a pattern recommendation than a portrait of how a designer builds a visual language. Figueroa’s work connects old quilts, new fabric collections, practical tools, small scraps, and repeated blocks into one continuous design process.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast Episode 602 released?
Episode 602, an interview with Joanna Figueroa, was released on February 19, 2024. Its runtime is approximately 67 minutes.
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Does Episode 602 include a complete zigzag quilting tutorial?
No. The show notes mention a zigzag technique Figueroa uses and link to a YouTube tutorial, but the episode should not be treated as a complete step-by-step lesson with confirmed machine settings.
What is Joanna Figueroa known for?
Joanna Figueroa is the founder and creative lead of Fig Tree & Co., a company known for quilting and sewing patterns and licensed fabric collections designed for Moda Fabrics.
Does Joanna Figueroa give exact rules for saving fabric scraps?
The episode discusses how she decides which scraps to keep, but the public show notes do not provide a complete set of measurements or fixed storage rules.
Where can I find Joanna Figueroa’s quilt patterns and fabrics?
Start with the official Fig Tree & Co. website and store. Older fabric collections may be out of print, so availability should be checked with the company, Moda, or an independent quilt shop.
The Bottom Line
Episode 602 presents quilting as a conversation between memory and invention. Joanna Figueroa draws on vintage quilts, flea-market discoveries, fabric scraps, and traditional blocks, then reshapes those sources through contemporary color and composition. The interview is especially useful for makers who want to understand not only what inspires a quilt designer, but how inspiration becomes a practical, repeatable design practice.
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