6 Year Anniversary Block

Posted on July 31, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

In this earlier post, I mentioned that I’m a member of Carol Doak’s Yahoo group. Her group recently had its 6th year online anniversary and Carol designed a fabulous block to celebrate the event!

I have a small piece of cute butterfly fabric in my stash, and I really wanted to be creative and incorporate the little butterflies throughout the block. I may have been too eager with this block because I’m not entirely happy with it.

Here’s a pic of it (a little crooked since the wind kept blowing it around outside on my lawn):

6 Year Anniversary Block

I really love the purple and blue tones in this block. However, I think the butterflies are a little lost against the white fabric.

Here are my ideas for using this block:

1. turn it into a pillow

2. add more blocks to either side to create a table runner

3. make a small wallhanging

4. give it away

5. other?

What would you do with this block?

Happy sewing,

~Jennifer~

Halloween Bat Block

Posted on July 27, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

In my last post, I talked about my ever increasing stash of Halloween fabric.

One of my favorite applique designers, Amy Bradley, has an adorable ‘Happy Halloween‘ pattern set. I decided that these patterns would be a perfect application for my stash! I purchased the pattern and it arrived a few months back (whoa, how time flies!).

I selected the Bat Block as my first one to do this week. The eyes are only on the block temporarily. I’ll add them later once I have the whole project quilted.

What a cute bat!

Happy Halloween Bat Block

I have 1 out of 12 blocks finished. Who knows if I can finish it for this Halloween or perhaps for next year?

Happy crafting!

~Jennifer~

Halloween Fabric Stash

Posted on July 25, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the traditions and fun associated with kids trick-or-treating and the crispness of the autumn air. I love carved pumpkins sitting on porches and the colored leaves as they blow across lawns.

I really love Halloween fabrics. There are so many cute designs that I just cannot resist adding a fat quarter here and a 1/2 yard there to my stash.

I looked at my Halloween stash recently and decided it was overflowing, and I need to pick a project already!

Part of My Halloween Fabric Stash

Hmmm, are you wondering what I’ll pick? It is a delightful pattern full of whimsy and mischief from one of my favorite designers. I’ve been working on the first block this week and will post a picture of it when I’ve completed it.

Here’s a hint . . . it’s the same designer who created this crazy cat quilt pattern set that I did a few years ago and is now hanging in my sewing room.

Happy guessing!

~Jennifer~

Mom, I want a Pokemon birthday party!

Posted on July 24, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

My little guy will be celebrating his 7th birthday soon. He asked me for a Pokemon themed party. I’ve been looking at local stores for themed party supplies, but haven’t had too much luck. So, I thought I would make some of the party goods myself.

To start with, I’m going to surprise him on his party day with a special Pikachu shirt. Pikachu is his favorite Pokemon character. I picked up a plain white t-shirt, cut out some fabric scraps, and satin-stitched all around the design.

I think he will be very happy to have his own Pikachu shirt!

Next up, I plan to make some Pokemon themed goodie bags. Wish me luck!

~Jennifer~

Making a 30 minute cuddle blanket

Posted on July 22, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

My almost 7-year-old son asked me recently if I could make him a new cuddle blanket for traveling and going to grandma’s house. I agreed. He then gave me very specific requirements: it must be soft and it must have birds on it! So off to the fabric store I went in the hunt for fabric.

I had a difficult time finding a bird print that wasn’t too babyish or too girly. I knew he wouldn’t want cute little owls on a pink background! As I was searching, I spotted the perfect fabric. It had crazy penguins and ice cream cones and it was a soft flannel.

I purchased one yard and took it home to wash it.

Next, I trimmed off the edges to make it even. I folded each edge in 1/2 inch and then a 1/2 inch again for a nice hem. I pinned it and sewed each edge using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. The whole sewing portion took under 30 minutes!

Here’s what the finished blanket looks like, a bit folded on my ironing table:

And here’s what it looked like right before grandma arrived:

That’s one happy kid!

I used a print called “Scooping Up a Little Happiness” number S#H4010 by Hoffman Fabrics.

These little blankets make great little gifts for kids!

Happy sewing!

~ Jennifer ~

Visiting Center Diamond Quilt Store

Posted on July 16, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

This weekend, I went on a camping trip with my 2 favorite guys – my husband and our son. On the way down to the campground, I managed to convince them that I needed to stop at a quilt store. Lucky for me, they didn’t mind waiting for a few minutes while I browsed inside Center Diamond in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Center Diamond is a great little quilt shop along the Oregon coast. I particularly love their collection of batik fabrics. It’s definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.

I was searching for a turtle batik for a while and happened to find one while visiting. I picked up several coordinating fabrics that just feel summery to me. Wonder what I’ll make?

Turtle batik and other fabric

Aren’t these little turtles just wonderful?

Happy crafting!

~Jennifer~

Lavender Mint Soap!

Posted on July 12, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

I blogged earlier about visiting some of Oregon’s wonderful lavender farms.

I made up a quick batch of cold process soap using some gorgeous dried lavender from the Lavender Thyme Herb Farm in Candy.

I used a very soothing blend of lavender and mint essential oils. I can’t wait for this soap to cure for several more weeks before trying it out!

The sweet scent is just perfect and delightful for everyday use.

Lavender Mint Soap with local Oregon lavender buds

August Mystery BOM

Posted on July 12, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

I’m a member of the Carol Doak Yahoo group. She recently started (in May) a new mystery block-of-the-month (BOM) program for her group members. Why is it a mystery? Because we get one block each month and won’t know how the blocks fit together until the last month!!

The August block got posted a little bit early due to Carol’s teaching schedule – yippee for us!

I was able to work a bit on this block over the past couple of days and finished it this evening. I absolutely love the fun pattern in this block, and I think it works so well with my star-themed fabrics!

Paper piecing is so much fun, and I encourage you to give it a try if you haven’t already. Carol has some great books and DVDs to get you going. Plus, the gals on the yahoo group are really fun and have great advice!

Don’t you just love how simple triangles can combine to make such great blocks?

August Mystery Block

Happy paper piecing!

Organizing My Quilting Tools

Posted on July 11, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

I have this great wooden light table that my grandfather made for me when I was in high school. I use it for many quilting and craft projects, including paper piecing and applique.

I realized that the table was too cluttered. I had rulers, rotary cutters, and writing implements all over the top of it. I kept pushing things to the side to make room to work on quilt blocks (using my wonderful combo Omnigrid cutting mat/ironing surface).

So a recent trip to IKEA became a hunt for a small organizer to hang above my light table!

I found a great set in the kitchen section called Fintorp. I purchased 1 rail, 2 sets of hooks, and 3 galvanized caddies.

Next, I decided to use my Cricut to cut some vinyl labels for each caddy.

Here’s the finished product organizer above the table:

Craft Room Organizer Above Light Box

Here’s a close-up:

Craft Room Organizer Close Up

I think these little buckets will really help me keep my cutting surface organized!

Summer Rose Soap

Posted on July 10, 2012 by nwquiltedcat

I recently made a batch of summer rose cold process soap. This soap is lightly scented and reminds me of taking an evening stroll in the summer through a rose garden.

Summer Rose Soaps

I decided to use some fun shapes for these soaps – a butterfly and 2 different flowers – and they look lovely in the guest bathroom. I added a tiny amount of red oxide to give the soaps a slight pink swirl throughout. I think they turned out rather well – what do you think?