East-Meets-West Quilts by Patricia Belyea

About Patricia Belyea

Patricia Belyea is a skilled quilter, teacher, speaker, and business owner who started quilting at age 53. She started quilting as a hobby, but it soon became her biggest passion, like “a fish discovering water.” Five years after making her first quilt, she left her corporate career to pursue quilting full time.
She developed a unique relationship with Japan by hosting eight homestay students, whom she affectionately refers to as her “Japanese kids.” During her visits to Japan, Patricia discovered vintage yukata cottons – traditional hand-dyed fabrics used for summer kimonos. She loved the colorful designs on the fabrics and started collecting them, ending up with the biggest yukata cotton collection outside of Japan. This led to the founding of Okan Arts, named after the Japanese word for “mom.”
Today, Patricia runs Okan Arts with her daughter, Victoria Stone, from her home in the Okanogan Highlands of eastern Washington. The mother-daughter duo has transformed what began as a textile import business into a multifaceted enterprise that:
● Imports and sells vintage Japanese textiles through their online store● Hosts creative quilting events both online and in-person● Leads specialized quilting and textile tours to Japan● Offers workshops and speaking engagements across the United States
Patricia’s unique quilting methods, like “Complex Curves” and “Inserted Curves,” fit well with the flowing patterns of Japanese fabrics. In 2017, she released a book called East-Meets-West Quilts (Abrams) that shares her “Hachi Manifesto,” which has five easy rules for making quilts without a pattern.
Her expertise has been recognized in various media appearances, including:● Featured episodes on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims● Multiple podcast appearances discussing quilting and Japanese textiles● Regular speaking engagements at quilt guilds nationwide
In January 2020, Patricia and Victoria started offering tours to Japan, beginning with a Tokyo Quilt Festival and Japanese Textile Tour. After stopping during the pandemic, they restarted tours in 2022 and did very well, now running many popular quilting and textile tours every year that sell out. These tours include workshops, special visits, meetings with famous people, and unique cultural activities.
Okan Arts’ “Delight Program” exemplifies Patricia’s commitment to customer service, as it includes thoughtfully selected complementary fabric pieces, hand-written notes, and carefully packaged materials with every order. Her business is about making customers happy and excited, not just selling fabric, but also creating a community for quilters.
This self-taught quilter, now a well-known expert, will show you how to blend classic Japanese fabrics with today’s quilting styles.