Moosin’ Around with a Circle of Geese

Posted on July 31, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Have you ever wanted to sew flying geese in a circle? This is a fun project that I’ve wanted to do for a while using a free paper pieced pattern by Piece by Number. I’ve seen various quilters use this pattern with stunning results using all different types of color schemes.

I feel in love with the Mama Said Sew line by Sweetwater for Moda last year and picked up a few 1/2 yard pieces. I decided to use this grouping to make my test circle of geese.

The quilt square finishes at 12 x 12-inches, and I added a 1-inch black border all around:

Circle of Geese Block

This block came together pretty quickly, and I think I may make two more using the same fabrics to make a table runner.

Just for fun, I took a little moose figurine that I purchased last summer at Grand Teton National Park and added it to the center of the unfinished block. I think he looks cute!

Moose and Geese

Moose and Geese Closeup

I might make a small matching wall hanging using this fabric, but I’ll probably reduce the pattern to make a 9-inch finished block instead.

Have you made a fun block with a circle of geese? I’d love to hear about your project!

Happy piecing,
~Jennifer

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, Photo Gallery (post 3)

Posted on July 30, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

There were so many wonderful quilts displayed in Sisters this year. I spent about 3 hours walking around and admiring them, but still couldn’t see them all!

The light and shadows played across many of the quilts so it was difficult getting good pictures. I’ve created a slideshow with a few of the quilts so you can see some of the wonderful eye candy and maybe plan your trip to a future Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show! If you made of these quilts, please let me know and I’ll add your name.

To see the quilts that I made and displayed in the show, visit here.

Sit back, grab some coffee, and enjoy!
~Jennifer

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Using Shot Cottons with Paper Piecing

Posted on July 24, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I still have a few more pictures to upload from the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, but wanted to show you how I’ve incorporated some beautiful shot cotton fabric into a paper piecing project.

I picked up some fat quarter bundles of Kaffe Fassett shot cotton a while ago, but didn’t have a specific project in mind. When I participated in the Central Oregon shop hop earlier this year, I picked up a very colorful batik at the Stitchin’ Post in Sisters.

Inspiration hit me! What if I used the shot cottons to pull out the colors in the batik? I could do a paper piecing project since the paper would act as a stabilizer for the more delicate shot cotton fabric. I also used Kona cotton in snow and artichoke to help add structure.

Here’s a look at the shot cottons and batik:

Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons and a Batik

On Carol Doak’s Yahoo Group, we recently celebrated the 7th anniversary of that group with a new block called Oh Happy Days! This block has a ton of different pointy pieces that worked perfectly with the shot cottons. Carol also provided a suggested quilt layout with the block that I used.

Here’s a look at the completed quilt top:

Oh Happy Days Quilt Top

I’m pretty happy with how colorful this quilt top turned out, and really enjoyed being able to incorporate the delicate shot cottons into a project. I hope to quilt it soon!

Have you used shot cottons in a quilt? Please share your projects!

Happy paper piecing,
~Jennifer

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, All About Cows! (Post 2)

Posted on July 20, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Happy Saturday everyone!

This is my second post about the fabulous Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show from last Saturday, July 13th.

I wanted to highlight a really cute exhibit called the “Whimsical Cow Stampede” featuring cow quilts from the book, Out of the Box with Easy Blocks by Mary Lou Weidman and Melanie Bautista McFarland. This book is on my must-buy list!

These quilts all used the cow pattern with a twist!

Boo Moo and Mooy Fiesta

PaniMoo Canal

Cow Tipping

Zoro the Boovine

Red White and Moo

Moody Blues

I think these cow quilts are so adorable especially since I have a Cow cat.

We decided to have a picnic lunch outside of Sisters to escape the heat and went up to Scott Lake. You can see part of the Three Sisters in the background. This is quiet little lake with a small campground that we’ll probably camp at in the future. Just remember to bring mosquito repellent!

Scott Lake, Oregon

I have more to pictures to upload from the quilt show so watch for my next post coming soon!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, Post 1

Posted on July 17, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

I had an amazing time last Saturday looking at all the wonderful quilts displayed in the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. I took plenty of quilt show photos and will post them over the next few days.

I’ll start by posting this great view of the Three Sisters:

Three Sisters in July

I love living here in Oregon, amongst these beautiful Cascade mountains and tall evergreens!

In this post, I’ll show you the three quilts that I displayed this year. The Hummer Storm quilt we found right away, but the other two quilts were a bit more difficult to find. We finally did find them at opposite ends of town.

I love this picture that my hubby took of my Hummer Storm quilt because you can see our son also taking a picture of me and the quilt with our little point-and-shoot camera:

Hummer Storm at Sisters

Here’s a look at Yahoo Stars:

Yahoo Stars at Sisters

And Happy Halloween:

Happy Halloween at Sisters

We started the day bright and early during the quilt hanging process. We finished touring the quilt show around 11:30 when our little guy decided he’d had enough of the quilts and wanted to go for a hike.

Proxy Falls, Oregon

I hope you enjoyed this first post on the quilt show. Stay tuned for more quilt photos in my next post!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

A Little Cat Mini!

Posted on July 10, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

While I impatiently wait for the Sisters Quilt Show this upcoming Saturday, I decided to take on a miniature quilt challenge. This is my first mini quilt, although I have made some mini blocks before (just never found the time to piece them together!).

This mini quilt and block is called the Royal Miniature Star and is designed by Carol Doak. I have this wonderful black and white cat border print by Michael Miller in my stash that I’ve been wanting to use but didn’t have the right project. I decided to use this print as the outer border and “catify” my Royal Star! My sister gave me some wonderful black-on-black and white-on-white cat fabric that I used as well. If you look closely at the images, you can see little cat silhouettes in the black and white fabric pieces.

Here’s a look at the mini quilt top:

Royal Mini “Cat” Star Quilt

I plan to quilt it, bind it, and then display it on a mini wire rack soon.

Here’s a look at the quilt top in comparison to my Cow cat:

Cow and the Mini Quilt

Isn’t it such a cute little quilt? The center block is a 2-inches finished while the little cornerstone blocks are 1.5-inches finished. I think this quilt top would also make a fabulous pillow cover or tote panel as well as a fun wall-hanging to make as a gift.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

4th of July Dachshunds

Posted on July 4, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

Happy 4th of July, everyone! We started the day off with a neighborhood parade. I marched in the parade with my son and dog. Although my dog is not a dachshund, he is part hound!

Here’s a pic of my patriotic dog, getting ready to march in the parade:

4th of July Dog

This afternoon, I decided to paper-piece some little dachshund blocks for a quilt that I’m making as a wedding gift. These are the smallest paper-pieced blocks that I’ve made with a finished size of just 6-inches by 3-inches! I’ve completed 4 of 8 little pups so far.

Here are 4 together with 2 dogs running up and 2 dogs running down:

4 Little Dachshunds

Aren’t these little dogs cute? Here’s a closeup with a 6-inch ruler to show the scale of the pieces:

Little Blue Dachshund

I think the smallest piece is about 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch!! What a challenge to paper-piece! I used my add-an-eighth inch ruler for all these blocks since the add-a-quarter inch was a tad bit too large.

Tiny Fabric Pieces!

I have 4 more left-facing dogs to make. Once the quilting is complete, I’ll embroider little noses and add button eyes to each dog. This pattern is from Janet Kime’s book, It’s Raining Cats and Dogs. I definitely recommend that you have some paper-piecing experience before beginning the projects from this book!

This evening, we plan to have a little BBQ in the backyard and watch fireworks!

Happy 4th of July!
~Jennifer

Another Red, White, and Blue Swap Block

Posted on July 2, 2013 by nwquiltedcat

I’ve finished another red, white, and blue block for a quilt block exchange that I’m hosting on the Carol Doak Yahoo group.

This one is the Africa block from Carol’s Mariner’s Compass Stars book. I think this block really gives great movement to the red and blue points. I have enough fabric scraps left over so I could make another one to add to my own red, white, and blue quilt.

Here’s the unfinished block at 12.5 inches:

Africa block

My quilting inspector decided to admire from afar while sitting on the fence under a shady tree. With temps in the upper 90s in the Willamette Valley this week, I can’t blame him!

A Shady Spot

I’m getting very excited for the upcoming Sisters Quilt Show! We only have a couple more weekends to go. I do plan on dropping off my quilts in person later this week and checking out the Stitchin’ Post before the show to pick up some goodies.

Until next time, happy quilting!
~Jennifer