Sunny Savannah Mini Quilt

Posted on April 30, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Dear Stella and Timeless Treasures are hosting a mini quilt challenge called Modern Traditional. The entry quilts must be 20-inches by 20-inches and have to include at least 2 prints from each company and no solids allowed! Entries are due today, April 30th and will be judged by two guest judges, Julie Herman and Katy Jones.

I decided to jump into this challenge with my entry called Sunny Savannah!

The fabrics that I used are:
Wee Gallery, Wild, Safari Animals in White (Dear Stella)
Wee Gallery, Wild, Safari Animals in Black (Dear Stella)
Zig Zag in Black for the binding only (Dear Stella)
Alice Kennedy, Matilda, Chevron in Citron (Timeless Treasures)
Woodstock, Stitched Swirl in Gold (Timeless Treasures)
Crosshatch Sketch in Grey (Timeless Treasures)

Since all the pieces in the quilt are very angular, I wanted the quilting to pop out a bit but still enhance the overall design. I decided to do an off-center swirl pattern in 1/4-inch increments on the entire quilt. I used a yellow Aurifil 40 wt thread for the quilting and Aurifil 50 wt Light Sand for the piecing. The swirl pattern reminds me of the sun shining down on the safari animals and so I decided to call this little quilt, Sunny Savannah. I really love the overall effect!

Here are some photos of the completed mini quilt:

Sunny Savannah, Completed Quilt

The back of the quilt is the Chevron in Citron fabric from Dear Stella with a label. I love the spiral quilting!

Sunny Savannah, Quilt Back

Just for fun, I took some pictures of the quilt flimsy. I thought it might be interesting to show you the backside of the quilt top because of all the neatly pressed rectangle shapes!

Sunny Savannah Quilt Flimsy

Quilt Top Backside

Some close-ups of the spiral quilting! I spray basted and then went slow and careful on my Bernina.

Spiral quilting in process

Spiral quilting close-up

I want to give a shout out to Charlie and Lindsay at Hawthorne Threads. Since I wasn’t able to pick up the fabrics from my LQS, I ordered my fabrics from Hawthorne Threads on a Tuesday evening after work and had them in my mailbox on that Friday! Thank you so much for the quick shipping!

I hope you enjoyed looking at my mini quilt for the challenge. If you’re on Instagram, search for #DSTTchallenge to view other entries.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Test Block Maker for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Vol 9

Posted on April 28, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

For the past 6 months or so, I’ve been a test block maker for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks magazine, volume 9. This issue will be available at retailers soon and contains some really fun blocks!

I can now show you the blocks that I tested and hope they inspire you to try something new! I had fun making these blocks while improving my piecing skills at the same time.

In total, I made 12 test blocks using traditional piecing, paper piecing, and applique (depending on the block). The blocks are all 12.5 x 12.5 inches unfinished.

Block #807, Spring Tulips by Nancy Mahoney

Spring Tulips designed by Nancy Mahoney

Block #808, Greetings Earthling by Sue Marsh

Greetings Earthling designed by Sue Marsh

Block #810, Felicity by Ellen Murphy

Felicity designed by Ellen Murphy

Block #827, Flying Dutchman by Doris Rice

Flying Dutchman designed by Doris Rice

Block #844, Plant Perfect by Amanda Murphy

Plant Perfect designed by Amanda Murphy

Block #845, Tweet-ness by Heidi Pridemore

Tweet-ness designed by Heidi Pridemore

Block #849, Tribal Crossing by Anita Grossman Solomon

Tribal Crossing designed by Anita Grossman Solomon

Block #865, Spin Cycle by Gudrun Erla

Spin Cycle by Gudrun Erla

Block #873, Hovering Stars by Bonnie Hunter

Hovering Stars designed by Bonnie Hunter

Block #875, Robo-Bop by Kimberly Jolly

Robo-Bop designed by Kimberly Jolly

Block #892, Love Letters by Amy Rullkoetter

Love Letters designed by Amy Rullkoetter

Block #898, Two Tulips by Margie Ullery

Two Tulips designed by Margie Ullery

I’m continuing to be a test block maker for volume 10, which will be published later this year.

Quiltmaker is sponsoring a blog hop to celebrate the publication of volume 9 so check it out!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Pin Cushion Exchange

Posted on April 27, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Hi everyone,

I had a terrific time this past week at the April monthly meeting for the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. I met new people and saw some wonderful quilts as well as a preview from Violet Craft’s new fabric line called Brambleberry Ridge.

This month, members were invited to make a pin cushion and bring it in a brown paper bag. At break time, we got to exchange pin cushions by choosing a brown paper bag and finding our surprise inside!

I made a cute little bird pin cushion using red and aqua fabrics. The pattern is by Joel Dewberry. You can find the pattern for free here.

After I finished the bird, I took a wooden spool and wrapped it in red ribbon. I then attached the wooden spool to the bird to give it a cute little base.

Here’s a look at the pin cushion I made:

Bird Pin Cushion

Bottom of Wooden Spool on Bird Pin Cushion

I received this great pin cushion in exchange with colors that I really like. My thanks to Ellen Colburn for making this beautiful pin cushion!

Colorful Pin Cushion

Today, I worked on quilting my Triangle QAL. I hope to get the binding stitched on later tonight and will take photos of the finished quilt this week.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Vice Versa BOM, April Blocks + A New Quilt Along!

Posted on April 23, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Over the last several evenings, I’ve cut out the fabric and stitched my April blocks for the Vice Versa BOM, hosted and designed by AnneMarie over at Gen X Quilters.

My fabric selections are inspired by Radiant Orchid, Pantone’s color of the year. You can read about the fabrics in my project here.

This month, we made star-within-a-star blocks. Here are my completed blocks:

Vice Versa BOM, April Block

Vice Versa BOM, April Block Inverse

I did take a photo of my January through April blocks together on a white design wall. I wanted to take a picture of the blocks with a higher contrast background so you can really see the richness of color. But, it is so rainy and windy here in the Pacific NW that I couldn’t get an outdoor shot.

Vice Versa BOM, 4 months of blocks

There is definitely still time to participate in the Vice Versa BOM so come join in on the fun!

I also wanted to mention a new quilt along that I’m so excited to start next week. It is the Aviatrix Medallion quilt along, designed and hosted by fellow Portland Modern Quilt Guild member Elizabeth Hartman on her blog, Oh Fransson! This week is fabric selection. Next Monday, we start in on the fabric cutting. You can do all solids, go scrappy, or do whatever fabric combination you want in this fun quilt along. Hope to see you join us!

Happy quilting,
~Jennifer

Wedding Quilt Triangles

Posted on April 18, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Triangles seem are pretty popular among quilters lately so when Julie of Jaybird Quilts posted about creating triangle blocks to send to her for a wedding quilt, I decided to hop aboard!

Having just finished my Triangle QAL flimsy, I kept my triangle theme going and ordered the Kona cotton color bundle from Pink Chalk Fabrics. These are colors that Julie has specifically chosen to keep a uniform look to the wedding quilt.

I started off by piecing together some rows of colors in graduated sizes so I could cut out 1 6.5-inch, 60 degree triangle.

Wedding Triangle with Graduated Color Bands

I still had a portion of the pieced row left, so I decided to make a second triangle by adding a solid color to one side of the block and flipping the orientation of the banded rows.

Wedding Triangle with Solid on 1 side

Now I had some really strange-shaped pieces of that pieced row left. Hmm, what to do? I decided to sew them together in a rough square shape. Then, I took the triangle ruler and cut out a third triangle block. This is my crazy triangle!

Crazy Triangle!

Here are all 3 triangles together:

3 Triangles for the Wedding Quilt

I have packaged up these colorful little triangles and sent them to Julie. She is still taking blocks until April 30th, if you want to send some. Check out her blog post to view the list of Kona solids.

This is such a fun idea, and I can’t wait to see the finished quilt!

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Celtic Solstice, Part 4 Completed

Posted on April 16, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

I’m continuing to make slow but steady progress on my Celtic Solstice. This is a mystery quilt designed by Bonnie Hunter during the last part of 2013. I’m way behind many quilters who have already completed and quilted their beautiful finishes. The pattern is still available until about June on Bonnie’s website if you want to make your own Celtic Solstice.

You can read about my Celtic Solstice Part 3 units here.

For step 4, our task was to make 4-patches. I’m making the smaller quilt so I needed to make 100 of these units. I’m using Bonnie’s suggested color scheme of oranges, greens, yellows, blues, and neutrals.

Once I had completed all the 4-patches, I couldn’t resist making one Block A: 54-40 or Fight!

This picture shows 1 block A, the 4-patches on the floor, and units from parts 1-3 in the basket.

Celtic Solstice 4-Patches

My block isn’t perfect, but I’m happy with it! Now, on to step 5!

I really need to finish this quilt because I’m attending one of Bonnie’s workshops in June, and I’d love to be able to show it to her. Wish me luck!

Happy piecing,
~Jennifer

Triangle QAL, Rows Joined!

Posted on April 13, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

I stitched my rows together this morning for the Triangle QAL, hosted by Paula over on her blog, Sassy Quilter!

The rows on my manly, beer-themed quilt went together fairly quickly. As I was trimming off the zig-zag edges along the side, my hubby walked in and saw the quilt top. Ooops! I just told him to act surprised when I give it to him once the quilting and binding are completed.

So off my hubby went to Home Depot while my son and I decided to take the quilt flimsy to a local park and get some pictures of it. The sun is shining and the leaves and flowers are bursting open in early spring.

One problem – the wind didn’t want to play along! (Or maybe it was playing along and just being frisky).

Here are some poses we tried to catch while the wind played with us:

Triangle QAL Flimsy on Rocks – Too Windy!

Triangle QAL Near Giant Bear Statue? Still Too Windy!

Triangle QAL Quilt Top on Play Structure? Almost!

Finally, I decided to place the quilt flimsy on the sidewalk and take a picture of it while standing on a bench, in between wind gusts.

Triangle QAL Quilt Top!

I want to think up a clever, beer-themed name for this quilt, but I haven’t thought of anything good. Do you have ideas?

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Scott Lake Quilted Postcard, Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Posted on April 11, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

Each year, the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show has a special fundraiser called Wish Upon a Card. Participants make fabric postcards to be auctioned during the quilt show week.

This year, I decided to make a fabric postcard featuring Scott Lake with the Three Sisters in the background. For inspiration, I used a photograph that I took at Scott Lake last fall during a camping trip.

Here’s my original picture:

Scott Lake at Sunset

It’s such a beautiful place and worth the short drive from Sisters if you are visiting the area.

I printed out my photo and then started to look in my scrap bin for fabrics to use. I’m entering the Michael Miller fabric challenge with this postcard so I needed to incorporate a piece of the Beadwork fabric into my design.

I decided to use the Beadwork fabric to represent the green meadow on the far side of the lake.

I built my postcard by layering the sky and water to form a solid foundation piece. Next, I carefully cut out and appliqued the mountain, lake, and tree shapes to this foundation using various colors of Aurifil thread. I added rocks to the water, a cloud to the sky, and a stick along the grass in the foreground.

Once all the shapes were appliqued, I used embroidery floss to add extra details such as the hint of tree trunks and late summer snow on the mountains. Finally, I layered the completed fabric postcard top with interfacing and cardstock and bound the edges using a black color weave fabric by P&B Textiles.

Here’s a look at the finished fabric postcard side-by-side with my printed photo:

Scott Lake Fabric Postcard and Picture

Here’s a close-up look of the fabric postcard:

Scott Lake Fabric Postcard for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

I really love how this fabric postcard turned out, and I’d be so thrilled to be one of the finalists!

I plan to attend the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this year, and I always stop by the wonderful postcard exhibit and auction.

Happy quilting!
~Jennifer

Triangle QAL Rows

Posted on April 9, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

I made progress this week on my Triangle QAL by stitching together the triangles to form rows!

You can still join in on the Triangle QAL by checking out Paula’s blog, The Sassy Quilter.

I’m using the Brewsky line by Clothworks along with 3 Kona cotton solids. You can read about my fabric selections here.

The 12 rows of this quilt took up my entire design wall. It will shrink down a bit when I sew the rows together during next week’s assignment, and I think the finished size will be the perfect beer-themed quilt for my wonderful hubby.

I’m trying to make this as a surprise, but I’m pretty sure that he knows something is up when I told him don’t go into the playroom! My sewing room (a spare bedroom) is too small for a design wall and cutting table so I’ve taken over a corner of the all-purpose playroom.

Here’s a look at the rows on the design wall:

Triangle QAL – Completed Rows

Some of the prints are directional so I had to be careful to keep those triangles pointing in the correct direction!

Directional Triangles

Oddly enough, this quilt continues to be a project that holds very little interest to my feline quilt inspectors. My dog has been my quilting buddy on this project instead!

At first, I wasn’t too sure about the bold red, but I did match it to the reds in the print fabric using my Kona color chart. The red is growing on me, and I think it adds interest while still keeping in line with a “manly” themed quilt.

Enjoy the triangles!
~Jennifer

Reach for the Stars Quilt, Blocks 1-3

Posted on April 8, 2014 by nwquiltedcat

This year, I made myself a goal to improve my piecing skills. To achieve that goal, I’m participating in various online BOMs as well as working on the Reach for the Stars quilt. You can read about my start on this quilt as well as all my fabric selections here.

I’m using the delicious Sunnyside line by Kate Spain for Moda, along with several solids thrown into the mix.

I finished up part 2 of 7 this weekend, which included blocks 1-3. I really wanted to get an outdoors photo to show off the fabrics better, but couldn’t squeeze it in before work on Monday.

Here are close-up photos of blocks 1-3. You can click each picture to zoom in on the block.

Reach for the Stars, Block 1

Reach for the Stars, Block 2

Reach for the Stars, Block 3

These blocks will be placed on the top of the quilt, above the center medallion:

Reach for the Stars, Blocks 1-3 with Center Medallion

It was challenging to find a floor space big enough for a photo. I stood on a little chair to get high enough, and I’m really surprised that one of my quilt inspectors didn’t come to “rearrange” the blocks, lol!

Since this project stretches over a year or so, I decided to create a little fabric swatch card/cheat sheet.

Fabric Swatch Cheat Sheet

This cheat sheet really helped me keep all my fabric placements correct for each block. In the past, I just had my chicken scratches on a piece of paper. I could just see myself confusing dark 2 with dark 3 or light tan with medium 1 if I didn’t have the little fabric swatches.

I cut out all the pieces for blocks 1-3 at the same time and kept them in individual groups with labels: