Boxed In Class at Quiltmaker’s Block Party

Posted on March 28, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

In an earlier post, I showed the quilt that I won by finding the lucky golden ticket at Quiltmaker’s Block Party in Portland last weekend. With this post, I want to talk about the class that I took and show a photo of the fabulous goodie bag that all the attendees received.

I signed up for a class with Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts called Boxed In. You can find this pattern in her book entitled Skip The Borders: Easy Patterns for Modern Quilts. In addition to Boxed In, you’ll find patterns for another 14 quilts so it is a great book to add to your quilt book library.

Julie’s patterns are fresh, fun, and appealing to sew. Boxed In is the perfect pattern to use with one of those pretty jellyrolls that you find in local quilt stores (2.5 inch pre-cut strips rolled together). I went with a bright, spring-like fabric line called Ticklish (Me and My Sister Designs for Moda). In the class, I had enough time to finish about 4 blocks. I need to make another 9 full blocks, 4 partial blocks, and 4 corner blocks. The pattern comes together pretty quickly so I hope to be able to finish my quilt soon!

Here’s a look at my four completed blocks:

Boxed In Blocks

In the class, Julie helped students ‘audition’ fabric choices for the sashing strips. Originally, I was going to use white and purple, but we decided that the black fabric made the Ticklish 2.5-inch squares really pop! I can’t wait to see the finished result.

At the Block Party store, I took the opportunity to purchase Julie’s latest pattern called Snack Time plus her versatile ruler called Hex N More. I highly recommend this ruler because it makes cutting hexagons, triangles, half hexagons, and jewel shapes a snap.

Here’s a pick of some of my purchased goodies:

Hex N More Ruler & Pattern

I really enjoyed experiencing Quiltmaker’s Block Party. I was so surprised to receive a wonderful swag bag stuffed with treasures! The bag itself is a sturdy blue canvas tote with a zipper that will be great for carrying quilting supplies to future events. Inside, I found the following:

15 fat quarters of neutral classics by Kaffe Fasset
A swatch pack of Tokyo fabrics by Red Rooster plus a mini quilt pattern
A charm square pack of Fresco fabric (New July colors) by Robert Kaufman
A fat quarter and retractable ruler by Northcott
A mini square pack of Avalon fabric by Joanna Figueroa for Moda
Misc. fat quarters
Embroidery snips and holder from Handi Quilter
A pin and writing pen from Gammill
200 Blocks book from Quiltmaker Magazine
Misc. patterns, program guide, etc.

Here are the treasures:

Block Party Goodie Bag

Wow – I’ve never received such a nice gift bag at any event before! I really hope that Quiltmaker comes back to Portland next year, and I’ll plan to take a vacation day or two to sign up for more classes!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

25% Discount on Craftsy Paper Piecing Class!

Posted on March 27, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Paper piecing is one of my favorite quilt making techniques! I’m happy to share with my blog readers a special 25% off discount to enroll in Carol Doak’s new Craftsy class called Mastering Foundation Paper Piecing. Just use this link.

The class has 8 lessons and covers all your paper piecing questions from the basics to learning how to join intricate blocks.

I’ve taken a class with Carol before and she is a great instructor! I also use her paper piecing techniques and have posted some of her blocks and projects on my blog throughout the past year.

Hope to ‘see’ you in class!
~Jennifer

The Golden Ticket at the Portland Quilt Block Party!!

Posted on March 25, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

On Saturday, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a class at the Block Party in Portland sponsored Quiltmaker.

Just before lunch, the class attendees learned that a quilt made by one of the instructors, Peg Spradlin, would be given away in a treasure hunt! The winner had to find a special golden ticket hidden somewhere on the lower level of the host hotel. With that announcement, I felt determined to win!!

After lunch, I started searching around for the ticket along with a few other quilters. I checked quite a few places, but just couldn’t come up with the prize. Then, I noticed a guy standing near several hanging display quilts with a quirky smile. I thought that maybe the ticket was pinned to one of the quilts behind him and sprinted towards him. As I got closer, the light hit a piece of paper in his pocket and looked golden. I grabbed the paper and discovered that it was the ticket! I’m so glad that it was the golden ticket since I was rather cheeky just plucking something from a stranger’s shirt, and it could have turned out to be an embarrassing situation.

Here are some pics of the beautiful quilt that Peg made using green, yellow, and blue batiks:

Prize Quilt with Golden Ticket

Me with Peg and the Prize Quilt

Prize Quilt in Sunshine

Prize Quilt Closeup

In my next post, I plan to write about the fun class that I attended called Boxed In by Julie Herman. I really hope that the Quiltmaker Block Party returns to Portland next year because it was such a great event!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

“So Tweet” Bird Test Block for Guild Exchange

Posted on March 20, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

My sister recently invited me to make 6 blocks for an exchange with her quilt guild. There are 3 basic rules:

must be 12.5 x 12.5 inches unfinished

must use bright primary colors

must have a bird on the block

I made up a test block using both piecing and applique techniques. This is block #555 (So Tweet) by Paula Stoddard from the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks collector’s edition, volume 6.

I went with some birchy/aspen type fabric for the tree trunk. Instead of using green leaves, I keep with the primary color theme and used yellow tone leaves to suggest an aspen tree in the fall. While I do like the tree fabric, I think I may jazz it up on the next block and use a bolder fabric.

I machine-appliqued the bird and leaves to the pieced background and then added some fun thread accents by using Ricky Tims’ Razzle Dazzle thread #266 with a bobbin technique. I think it adds a nice touch of color and sparkle to the stitching.

The bird’s eye is a button which I did not sew down in case the block goes on a long-arm. I’ll probably include the buttons separately with the blocks so they can be added after quilting is completed.

Here’s a look at the block:

So Tweet Test Block

So Tweet Thread Close-Up

What do you think of the test block? A bird themed quilt seems like a fun spring or summer project.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Block Party with Quiltmaker Plus Ticklish by Moda

Posted on March 16, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I heard about the Block Party sponsored by Quiltmaker coming to Portland next week so I signed up for a class. Unfortunately, I was too late to sign up for Bonnie Hunter’s class called Talkin’ Turkey. Instead, I found another great class called Boxed In by Julie Herman that looks really fun! If you’re in the area, I think you can still register by visiting the Block Party website.

Since I’ve been doing quite a few seasonal and batik quilts the past year, I decided to change things up and go for some bright and cheerful fabrics for the class. I chose the Ticklish line by Moda. Isn’t the name fun? It just seems to evoke happy summertime gatherings and memories.

Here’s are some pics of the Ticklish jelly roll:

Ticklish – All Rolled Up!

A Ticklish Rainbow!

In the class, we should be able to sew some blocks so I will post another update to this project after the Block Party. I also plan on taking lots of photos during the event so you can have a look at quilters gone wild in Portland!!

Anyone else planning on attending?

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

Summer Flip Flop Project

Posted on March 5, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I saw a cute flip flop paper pieced pattern the other day while browsing on Etsy. Immediately, I thought it would make a lovely little wall-hanging for a co-worker who is having a big birthday in a couple of months. I decided to purchase the pattern (only $4.50) and make up a test project for myself. The pattern is by Amy Friend of During Quiet Time. She has other fun patterns so check out her store!

I used batik fabrics from my stash with pink for the flip flop pieces because I love pink at the moment! The background is a nice light blue for a summery sky or day at the beach. The base uses a tan fabric with a weave-like texture that reminded me of sandal bottoms. The binding is a lovely dark gray/light black batik that I picked up at the Sew Batik booth at the Northwest Quilting Expo in Portland last fall.

Here’s a look at the finished wall-hanging (approximately 12 inches by 12 inches):

Summer Flip Flop

I used a sparkly flower button to accent the front part of the flip flop sandal. I always love a little bling!

I’d recommend quilters be familiar with paper piecing before creating this little cutie (confident beginner or intermediate). If you’ve never paper pieced before, I would start with a simpler block or take a class at your local guild. I also highly recommend Carol Doak’s teaching CDs and books!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer