robin ruth opens the ranch

By Patricia Belyea

RITZVILLE WA Robin Long of Robin Ruth Design fearlessly tackles two challenges that intimidate many quilters — she makes Mariner’s Compass quilts and she combines patterned fabrics non-stop in her compositions.

Robin Ruth Design Open House, June 2025, Ritzville WA I attended Robin’s Open House at her barndominium—a house within a barn—in the ranchlands of Eastern Washington. More than 100 of her quilts were displayed, both inside and outside her metal-sheathed home.

It’s clear that Robin has no end of ideas for her Mariner’s Compass quilts. Each quilt leapfrogs the next to span styles from traditional to modern and everything in between.

I toured Robin’s workspaces: a downstairs office with a large computer positioned in front of a view window, and a sewing loft at the top of a spiral staircase. In the upstairs studio, I found a Bernina 830 and a longarm machine.

I was especially charmed by the 45-year-old Bernina. Robin shared, “I still sew on the Bernina 830 that my mom passed down to me. Since then, I’ve purchased three more Bernina 830s—I just love that utilitarian machine.”

For the Open House, a collection of quilts were hung side by side in Robin’s husband’s huge workshop. At 3 pm, Robin gave a short talk on how to make Mariner’s Compass blocks using her custom acrylic rulers and step-by-step instructions.

According to Robin, making a compass block is “as easy as pie.” She assembles the compass wedges using strip piecing — not paper piecing. A master of her method, Robin can complete a compass block in just one hour!

She’s confident that anyone can succeed using the Robin Ruth Design system of rulers, making compass blocks in sixteen sizes — from 6” to 36”.

I think Robin is brilliant. She has developed a way to simplify the Mariner’s Compass block, making it accessible to all. She’s also expanded the concept of Compass Quilts far beyond traditional compositions. She’s mastered her computer to design her quilts with digital fabric swatches. She produces patterns, creates videos and online tutorials, and hosts sew-alongs.

Robin jokingly says she’s not the brilliant one—pointing instead to her husband, a nuclear engineer, and her daughter, a rocket scientist. Sounds like a pretty smart household to me!

Robin’s daughter Erin flew in from Los Angeles for the event. She greeted guests in the pop-up shop and rang up their purchases.

Take another look at more of Robin’s quilts — and notice how many patterned fabrics she uses in each one!

To glean everything you need to make a Mariner’s Compass quilt, visit Robin’s website +here

Robin is available to give a talk or workshop to your guild. More +here

To read about Robin Ruth Design and her ranch in a blog post by QuiltFolk, click +here

To follow @RobinRuthDesign on Instagram, click +here

# # # # #

ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria import vintage Japanese textiles, host in-person and online creative quilting experiences, and lead textile tours to Japan.

FOLLOW OKAN ARTS ON INSTAGRAM @okanarts