Supernova Friendship Block Swap Update + Broken Top Hike

Posted on August 27, 2014 by thequiltedcat

Hi quilty friends,

Summer is quickly ending so I hope to have more time this fall and winter to catch up on my many projects in progress.

One project that I’m working on this year with a partner, Cindy, from What’s One More Project is the Friendship Supernova Block Exchange. You can read more about this unique swap in my first post here. In my first post, I have pictures of our month 1 blocks.

In this post, I’m happy to say that we have now swapped 2 more blocks (July and August) for a total of 6 blocks all together. We have 2 more months (September and October) for the blocks before we finish sewing our quilt tops together.

Here are the blocks that I made for July and August (1 to keep and 1 for my partner):

July Supernova Blocks

August Supernova Blocks

I took a picture of the first 6 blocks on my design wall in random order (3 made by me and 3 made by Cindy):

Supernova, First 6 blocks

Isn’t it looking fabulous??!! I just love how this quilt is coming together so far.

For those of you who have visited or are familiar with the Sisters, Oregon area (home of the fabulous Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show), you might be familiar with one of the mountains called Broken Top. This mountain is next to the Three Sisters and is featured in many patterns, including the row-by-row pattern by the Stitchin’ Post this year. I used this row as the top row in my quilt here.

My family decided to squeeze in one last camping/hiking trip before school starts here next week. We camped near Broken Top and took a moderate to aggressive, 4-mile roundtrip hike to a beautiful glacier lake near the top of the mountain. The color of the lake water is amazing – a sort of blue/green/turquoise color and absolutely gorgeous!

The road to the trail head is very rough and not really suitable for passenger cars. You need a vehicle with higher clearance to navigate some sections. Broken Top itself is 9,177 feet. I’m not sure what the elevation is here at the lake, but I’d guess around 7,500 feet or so.

Unnamed Glacier Lake at Broken Top

Another view looking back at the lake from farther up the trail:

View of Broken Top and Unnamed Glacier Lake

If you turn from this viewpoint in the opposite direction, you are rewarded with a stunning, up-close view of the Three Sisters. Here’s my dog with his hiking boots to protect his paw pads:

Broken Top Hike with View of the Three Sisters (and Brutus the dog)

My 9-year-old did great on this hike and had a great time. I think we wore out the dog because he slept for about 2 days straight after the hike! If you are ever in the central Oregon area, I’d highly recommend this hike for the impressive views.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Row by Row Winner + Vancouver Island

Posted on August 21, 2014 by thequiltedcat

Happy Thursday, quilty friends!

I was on a family camping trip to Vancouver Island this past week and missed sewing and blogging. We did have some wonderful hikes and sightseeing adventures while on the island.

In Strathcona Provincial Park, we did a strenuous hike up to Baby Bedwell Lake and Bedwell Lake. It was about 4 miles one way and about a 2000 foot elevation gain!

Baby Bedwell Lake, Strathcona Provincial Park, BC

Bedwell Lake, Strathcona Provincial Park, BC

Near Tofino, we spent some time walking on the beach at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. This part of the island definitely reminded us of the Oregon Coast. We spotted some black bears, bald eagles, and other critters on a tour from Tofino and had a great time!

Driftwood and seagulls at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Sunset and Mist in Tofino

Black bear near Tofino, BC

We returned home several days ago, and I have so many projects to catch up on before returning to work next week. I decided to finish up my quilt for the Row by Row Experience so I could have a chance at winning a prize. I finished about 5 of the rows before our vacation so I spent 2 feverish days stitching together 3 more rows before joining the rows, quilting the sandwich, and binding the whole project.

For the back, I used my label plus some of the Row by Row license plates from stores whose rows I used in the quilt. Unfortunately, only 5 of the 8 stores carried the license plates. I neglected to take a picture of the quilt back before heading out to the Pine Needle this morning to claim my prize.

Once at the Pine Needle, I ran into Dawn of First Light Designs. We’ve been visiting each other’s quilting blogs so it was great to meet in person! Dawn kindly agreed to hold up the quilt (it is taller than me at 5 feet, 4 inches!!) while one of the store employees took my photo.

Here’s a look at the quilt flimsy:

Row by Row Flimsy

Here’s a picture of me with the completed quilt:

Row by Row 2014 Experience – Finished Quilt!

I visited more than 8 shops but decided to stick with “nature” themed rows for my quilt. I have some other adorable rows (including some chicken rows) that I will make into fun table runners. I used Aurifil thread for the piecing and quilting and Hobbs 80/20 for the batting.

My row by row quilt contains rows from the following quilt stores, in order from the top of the quilt to the bottom:
1. Mt. Washington, Three Sisters and Broken Top from the Stitchin’ Post in Sisters, OR
2. Pine Trees from the Pine Needle in Lake Oswego, OR
3. Cabin and scene from Homestead Quilts in La Pine, OR
4. Wonky trees from Greenbaum’s Quilted Forest in Salem, OR
5. Oregon plants from A Common Thread in Portland, OR
6. Stars by Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe in West Linn, OR
7. Hearts by Quilting Delights in Clackamas, OR
8. Cascade Mountains by BJ’s Quilt Basket in Bend, OR

Since I was the first person to bring in a finished row by row quilt at the Pine Needle, I won the 25 fat quarter prize. In addition, I won the bonus prize since I used that shop’s row in my quilt. I left my finished quilt at the Pine Needle so it will be on display for the next few weeks. If you are in the area, stop by and take a look!

My prizes:

Row by Row Prize

I had fun participating in the Row by Row Experience this year and hope that it returns next year! Now, I’m off to finish up a few more blocks before exhaustion sets in this evening.

Enjoy!
~Jennifer

Aurifil BOM – August

Posted on August 6, 2014 by thequiltedcat

Happy Wednesday, quilty friends!

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, and I haven’t updated my blog as regularly as I’d like. I’ve been working on several projects with deadlines that are finally completed. Both projects will be in the mail tomorrow. One is a special quilt project for a magazine that I will be able to share with you in November. Until then, no sneak peeks!! 🙂

I have so many BOMs and other projects “in the works” right now, ha! I finished the August block for the Aurifil BOM. This month’s block is called “Aurifil Button” and is designed by Michele Foster.

Here’s a look at my August block with a beautiful 1919 Red Eye Singer that I found last week at a local Goodwill for $25!! (No, I didn’t sew the block on the Singer. It works, but I want to clean her up a bit first).